· August, 2011

Stories about Citizen Media from August, 2011

Colombia: Art NGOs Receive Threat from Paramilitary Group

  31 August 2011

The blog El salmon [es] reports [es] that on August 23, 12 Art NGOs received death threats from the paramilitary group “Black Eagles“. The threat indicated they were to leave the capital, Bogotá, in less than 8 days. The blog includes a statement written [es] by Edwin Almed Domínguez, Member...

Russia: Why We Are Leaving Our Country Behind

RuNet Echo  31 August 2011

Recent months have seen a new spin on the topic of emigration that seems to be ever-present in the Russian online space. Several powerful blog posts written by people from different social groups have become a platform for expressing one's take on the present and future of the country and people's place in it.

Senegal: Grants for Pilgrimage to Mecca and Rome

  30 August 2011

Mamadou Sarr on assirou.net reveals [fr] how much money Senegal provides for pilgrimages: “The Senegalese government subsidizes the pilgrimage to Mecca to the tune of 1 billion 350 million CFA Francs [around 2.8 million USD] on years when no Christian pilgrimage to Rome is organised, and 1 billion CFA [around...

Bangladesh: Coming Home For Eid

  30 August 2011

Eid is the biggest religious festival in the Muslim majority country Bangladesh, and a key part of the celebration is going home to celebrate with family in distant places. Bijoy has a roundup of Bangla blog reactions on the struggle, frustration and the joy of reaching home to celebrate Eid.

Malaysia: Generation 709 Calls for Political Reforms

  30 August 2011

Following the Bersih democracy rally last July 9, a group of young Malaysians has come forward to continue the demand for free and fair elections, calling themselves ‘Generation 709’. The group hopes to reach out to more young people and mobilize them for political and civil rights through active use of social media

Spain: Racism and Intolerance Advance Relentlessly

  29 August 2011

In Europe, xenophobia advances at an immense rate. Author Ana Lucía Sá writes about the situation of immigrants in Spain, the invisibility of the issue of racism and hate crimes in public discourse, and offers comments and analysis from bloggers and organizations that work against racism.

Blog Carnival: Mexico – Verbalizing the Violence

  29 August 2011

Our first 2011 Blog Carnival had the theme "Mexico - Citizenry, Violence and Blogs". In this first part of the final summary, we showcase what Mexican bloggers thought about past violent events happening in their country and how they handle and express their pain when violence has affected them.

China: Soaring number of female political prisoners

  29 August 2011

The Dui Hua Foundation's Human Rights Journal explores the issue of the fast growing number of female political prisoners in China. This presents unique challenges, including male-on-female violence, childbirth in prison, and the overcrowding of women's prisons.

China: The broken education system in the countryside

  29 August 2011

Tom, an American who works in education in rural China and blogs at Seeing Red in China, shares his first-hand teaching experience in the Guangxi province, and analyses some of the systemic problems in the educational system of China's countryside.

South Korea: Pop Music Censorship Meets with Strong Opposition

  28 August 2011

More than 2,600 South Korean pop songs have been censored in the past two years for their "hazardous" lyrics. One entertainment agency, however, filed a lawsuit against the government that deemed its singer’s album as ‘inappropriate for youths’ and won the case. The decision was widely welcomed by Korean public.

Cameroon: Deeply homophobic laws

  28 August 2011

Talking about risk of toughening the law on homosexuality in Cameroon, the bonaberi.com site reveals [fr] that: “While the first paragraph of Section 347-1 of the penal code banned homosexuality, the second and third sections state sentences of up to eight years for homosexuality committed by minors between 16 and...

Mexico Mourns Casino Royale Victims on Twitter

  28 August 2011

The attack and fire in Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico, resulted in 52 casualties, in another event further tied to violence from organized crime. Twitter users look for their relatives and friends, and cry over this tragedy.

Zimbabwe: On Libya, Gaddafi and Mugabe

  27 August 2011

As news of the fall of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi lit up the web, the Zimbabwean blogosphere was not left behind. Meanwhile, rumours have been circulating that the man deposed after four decades in power is in Zimbabwe.

China and Britain: how do they compare?

  27 August 2011

A British who has settled in China recounts his observations about the differences between the daily life in China and Britain, and how Britain has changed since he last visited there a year ago: “Great Britain is my home, and I love it, but it does feel like many of...

Colombia: ‘Blank Vote, Worthy Vote’

  25 August 2011

Colombians are invited to cast blank ballots in the regional and local elections to be held on October 30, 2011 through the video “Blank vote, worthy vote” by NachoVelezJim on YouTube. The argument for such a move is that scandals of government corruption have made the country lose billions of...

Peru: Ripley Department Store Workers Maintain Demands

  25 August 2011

Ripley Peru union workers have announced that they will not give up their demands [es] for an increase in the basic monthly salary to 350 nuevos soles [es] (around US $130). They also ask for a payment of 50% of their snack and 100% of their transportation for workers who...