· October, 2010

Stories about Citizen Media from October, 2010

Tanzania: 2010 General Elections Roundup

  29 October 2010

Tanzanians will go to the polls on 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. This is a roundup of blog posts written by Tanzanian and non-Tanzanian bloggers about the elections.

Zimbabwe: Big Brother Africa, Mugabe and US$300,000

  28 October 2010

Big Brother Africa is a television show produced by Endemol in South Africa. The show, which has become the most popular TV reality show in Africa, entered its fifth season with Big Brother Africa All-Stars. After 91 days of stiff and exciting competition, Nigerian musician and actor Uti Nwachukwu was announced the winner of US$200,000. The final two housemates were Nigeria's Uti and Zimbabwe's Munya Chidzonga. Although Munya lost, he ended up "winning" US$300,000. Follow Zimbabwean bloggers to know what happened.

Video: One Minute Jr video nominees for 2010 Awards

  27 October 2010

The nominees for each of the 3 categories in the One Minutes Jr project competition 2010 have been selected. In each of the categories of  (Self)-portrait, Inside-Out and One Minute of Freedom there will be one winner who will be awarded a JVC Piscio HD Hand-Camera.  The nominees are all...

Peru: Municipal Elections, Delays and the Electronic Vote

  27 October 2010

After over three weeks since the municipal elections, the people of Lima still didn't know for certain who would be their next mayor; a minimal difference between the candidates has put the spotlight on electronic voting, and the slow process brought forth all kinds of suspicions, doubts and even accusations of fraud attempts.

Tanzania: Bloggers Analyse Tanzania 2010 Election Campaigns

  27 October 2010

On 31 October 2010, more than 19.6 million Tanzanians will make an important decision for the future of their country. They will take part in the forth parliamentary and presidential elections since the introduction of multiparty politics. With only a few days left before the polls, Tanzanian blogosphere is following closely election campaigns conducted by various political parties.

France: Youth against Pension Reform

  26 October 2010

October 19 was the seventh consecutive day of nationwide demonstrations in France against the pension reform bill. As the foreign press is reporting the protests mainyl as a social conflict, broadcasting images of urban guerilla warfare and giving very little press to the reasons, bloggers go in depth about the motivation of the youth and its implications

Mexico: Thirteen residents executed at Tijuana rehabilitation center

  25 October 2010

Gancho reports that, “Thirteen residents at a Tijuana rehab facility were executed yesterday, in apparent retaliation for the seizure of 134 tons of marijuana last week. […] This is not the first time rehab center residents have been targeted (often, rehab centers are said to double as gangs’ centers of...

Chile: Natividad Llanquileo, voice of the Mapuche hunger strike

  25 October 2010

Natividad Llanquileo was the spokesperson of the Mapuche prisoners that were on hunger strike for more than 80 days; she is 26 years old and a law student. Media from different countries and social networks have been moved by this girl's image and steady voice that explains the hunger strike, the demands of the prisoners and the dignity of the Mapuche.

Panama loses hosting rights of Bolivarian Games

  24 October 2010

In May, the Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO) named Panama the host of the XVII Bolivarian Games, but this week the organization decided not to host the games there anymore. The news is causing reactions from authorities and Twitter users.

Argentina: Protester killed in confrontation between labor unions

  22 October 2010

Mariano Ferreyra, a student at the University of Buenos Aires and member of the Worker's Party, was shot during a confrontation between members of the Railroad workers union and workers that were protesting layoffs along with militants of left-leaning parties. Demonstrations condemning the killing were quickly organized.

Cameroon: Cameroonian Blogs Roundup

  22 October 2010

We begin our roundup of Cameroonian blogs with Dibussi Tande who takes us the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. He discusses the myriad challenges facing the tribunal- specifically the charge that the court dispenses winners’ justice. The ICTR, he argues, means different things to different people: The...

Uruguayans Mourn Death of Musician José Carbajal, ‘El Sabalero’

  22 October 2010

Singer and composer José Carbajal, nicknamed "el Sabalero," died of a heart attack on October 21 at age 66. Carbajal is considered an icon of Uruguayan culture. This year he was working with other artists and the One Laptop per Child project in Uruguay, Plan Ceibal, to perform in concerts for public school children around the country.

Shintaro Ishihara’s views on China, Japan

  21 October 2010

Shintaro Ishihara is a politician, author and governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government since 1999. He is well known for his critical stance on Japan’s dependence under the US-Japan security alliance. In 1989, he co-authored the book The Japan That Can Say No with then-Sony chairman Akio Morita. He is...

Zimbabwe: Update on Zimbabwe's New Draft Constitution

  20 October 2010

Zimbabweans are discussing the proposed draft of a new constitution. This will be Zimbabwe's second constitution. A proposed new constitution to replace the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979 was approved by the Parliament in 1999, but was defeated in the 2000 referendum. Zimbabwe will hold a referendum on the new constitution next year on June 30.

Venezuela: Nuclear Energy Deal with Russia

  20 October 2010

President Hugo Chávez met with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in Russia on October 14. At the meeting they signed a "plan of action" on different issues; among them, building a nuclear plant in Venezuela. Venezuela is the first Latin American country to sign an atomic energy deal with Russia.

Venezuela: Misinformation on ETA-Chávez Connection

  19 October 2010

“The ETA – Chavez connection, brought to light after Spain's equivalent to the Supreme Court asked Venezuela to extradite a number of people involved in terrorist activities, is generating a torrent of misinformation rarely seen,” writes Alek Boyd in his blog.