Stories about Citizen Media from September, 2010
Ecuador: Police Strike Denounced as Attempt to Destabilize Country
The Ecuadorian police are leading a strike against reforms to the public service law, unleashing chaos in the country. Since this morning, Twitter users have been reporting on the events and reacting to the developing news.
Colombia: University of Antioquia Closed After Clash Between Students And Police
The University of Antioquia, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in Colombia, was closed September 15 following a confrontation between students and police. Using blogs and twitter, the students of the University have been reporting on the events and giving their opinions on the closing and expected reopening.
South Africa: Winners of South Africa Blog Awards 2010
The South African Blog Awards started in 2005 to showcase the best blogs in South Africa voted for by the public. The winners were announced on 25 September 2010 at the annual awards ceremony at the One & Only hotel, Cape Town. The award for the Best 2010 South Africa Blog went to Watkykjy.
Music: CD Brings together banned and censored musicians
Listen to the Banned is a music CD bringing together musicians who have been banned, censored or imprisoned due to their music. It features artists from Afghanistan, Cote D’Ivoire, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey, Uighurstan and Zimbabwe.
Bhutan: ‘Happiness’ As A Millennium Development Goal
It was nice to have a little laughter - even whimsical as it may have been - when the PM of Bhutan proposed “Happiness” be included as the 9th Millennium Development Goal at the the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals.
Nobel Peace Prize should go to Liu Xiaobo
Xu Youyu, philosopher and professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote an open letter (English translation here) to call for international support for this year's Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned author of China's Charter 08. Meanwhile, C. Custer at ChinaGeeks commented on...
The Invisible Border Between Ecuador and Colombia
The Colombia-Ecuador border is once again a contentious issue. Both countries have a border of 586 km and with it a long history of conflict, mutual accusations and reports of armed conflict and displacement.
Madagascar, rosewood trafficking: an investigator arrested
The site Mongabay [in English] and the blog MyDago [in French] reported on September 17 that “a foreign journalist”, whose identity was not revealed, was arrested on September 5 in Maroantsetra in eastern Madagascar while investigating the smuggling of rosewood [in French].
Global Voices Bloggers at UN Millennium Development Goals Summit
Four Global Voices bloggers are currently attending the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York City (September 20-22). In their personal blogs and on Twitter, they are sharing their initial reactions from the Summit.
Cambodia: Controversial mobile phone ad
An advertisement of a major Cambodian mobile phone service provider is being criticized by many netizens for promoting bad internet behavior among the youth. Bloggers are pushing for the removal of the ad.
Colombia: Virtual Gifts for Medellín on its 335 Birthday
On November 2 the city of Medellín will celebrate 335 years of its founding. The account @cumplemedellin was created on Twitter so that its citizens can tweet the symbolic present they want to give their city on this occasion. What would you give your city on its "birthday"? Find out what citizens of Medellín are tweeting almost a month before the date.
Venezuela: Using Crowdsourcing to Report on Elections
Through video, pictures and links, citizens can report on any event or incident related to the upcoming September 26 elections in Venezuela thanks to Dale Poder A Tu Voto [es] (Give your vote power), a site modeled after Ushahidi. The site uses crowdsourcing to promote transparency, participation and education.
South Africa: Thou Shall Not Burn the Bible
A South African businessman and law student Mohammed Vawda planned to burn the Bible on September 11, 2010 in Johannersburg central business district. He claims that he was enraged by pastor Terry Jones who wanted to burn the Koran in the United States of America. The South African High Court stopped Mohammed from setting the Bible on fire arguing that the act was an insult to all religions. The ruling has receive mixed reactions from bloggers.
Venezuela: September 26 Elections, Activism and Opinion via Twitter
On September 26, Venezuelans will vote to renew the National Assembly, its legislative body. Twitter has been one of the most used tools during the campaign, used by candidates to promote their campaign and by citizens to support their favorite politicians and voice their political opinions.
Japan, China fishing boat row: a war of words
Just as the Diaoyu Islands row between Japan and China intensifies over the detention of a Chinese fishing captain, whose detention has just been extended by a further 10 days, a war of words has broken out between prominent bloggers Yoshikazu Kato and Zhang Wen. Yoshikazu Kato, bilingual in Japanese...
Bangladesh: Digitizing Land Records to Combat Corruption
There is a lot of hope riding on the effective use of ICT in the Land Management System of Bangladesh to usher in modernization, user-friendliness, transparency and accountability in this very important sector. Aparna Ray explains.
Peru: Mayoral Candidates, Twitter and an Intercepted Phone Call
"Lourdes" became a Twitter Trending Topic for a couple of hours. The story behind what looks like a trivial Trending Topic is the release of a conversation where Lourdes Flores, a candidate for mayor of Lima, uses unreserved remarks about the mayorship. Bloggers and Twitter users reacted to the audio and the politics behind it.
Argentina: Boca Juniors, Passion for Football
One of many football (soccer) fans' dreams is to attend one of the Argentinian Boca Juniors' matches in their famous stadium, “La Bombonera“. Find out why football fans from all over the world share this dream.
Ecuador: Twitter Campaign Against Car Accidents
#sitomasnomanejes [if you drink, don’t drive] is the recent Twitter campaign to reduce the number of deaths from traffic accidents in Ecuador. Twitter users have been hashtagging #sitomasnomanejes amidst the nationwide commotion caused by recent and fatal car accidents and a discussions regarding the country’s new traffic law.
Colombia: The Case of J.J. Rendón, ‘he who can't be named’
Tomáz Garzía, a Colombian blogger and cartoonist, revealed through his blog that he had received an email from the legal representative of controversial Venezuelan Juan José Rendón, demanding that he erase the content where he refers to Rendón's participation in the recent Colombian presidential elections. Twitter users and bloggers have reacted to the email, emphasizing the right to freedom of speech.
Azerbaijan: As elections approach, social networking steps in
On 7 November, Azerbaijan will once again head to the polls to cast their ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The pre-election campaign won't officially start until 23 days before election day itself, but there already some signs of activity appearing on Facebook.
