· October, 2012

Stories about Citizen Media from October, 2012

Far-Right Party Performs Strongly in Ukrainian Vote

While the results of the Oct. 28 elections in Ukraine are still being finalized, netizens are already discussing the anticipated outcome. Many are paying special attention to VO Svoboda, a far-right party, and its victorious leap over the 5% threshold necessary to get any Parliament seats.

31 October 2012

Saint Lucia: Jounen Kwéyòl Festivities (Creole Day)

On Sunday, Saint Lucia celebrated its annual Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day). The day of activities were the culmination of Creole Heritage Month. On Jounen Kwéyòl, selected communities host a fair where the Creole culture is celebrated through dress, music and most of all, food.

31 October 2012

Former Brazilian Model Turned Beggar Stirs Debate on Racism

Tall, blue-eyed and wrapped in a blanket while roaming the streets of Curitiba, Rafael Nunes, a former Brazilian model, has gained international attention after his picture and story went viral on Facebook and Twitter. The case of "the photogenic beggar from Curitiba" has grown into a racial-oriented discussion about how Brazilian society reacts to situations of social exclusion.

31 October 2012

Spain: Journalists Fined After Revealing Corruption in Catalonia

Marta Sibina and Albano Dante, editors of the citizen media magazine Cafè amb Llet, have been fined 10,000 euro for libel. They uploaded to YouTube a video strongly criticizing the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing in Catalonia, implicating Josep Maria Via, president of Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium and healthcare advisor to Catalan President Artur Mas.

31 October 2012

Afef Abrougui, Blogging From Tunisia

Afef Abrougui, a contributor for Global Voices in Tunisia, tells us about her experience in the demonstrations that took place in her country in 2011 and what she expects for the immediate future of Tunisian politics. She also shares with us some of her daily life and chores.

31 October 2012

Syria Destruction in Photos

Syrian photographers are using social media to share images of destroyed neighborhoods and streets. Despite the limited media resources, what comes out shows the horrific reality that Syria is under destruction.

31 October 2012

Panama: Statements After the Chaos Unleashed by Law 72

The impressions of Panamanians and foreigners living in the country were immediate after the chaos unleashed by the approval of Law 72. This law, without consultation, promoted the sale of land in the Colón Free Trade Zone, a source of income for the country and this province that practically lies in ruins after having gone unnoticed by the government. The protests against the law have left four dead and dozens injured and detained.

30 October 2012

Pakistan: Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy fired from LUMS

MIT alumni and preeminent physicist Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy has been fired from Lahore University of Management Sciences presumably because of ideological differences with the management. Dr. Hoodbhoy's contract was a buzzing news on the Pakistani twitter community.

30 October 2012

What Exactly is a Hackathon? And What is Open Data?

We previously announced the next hackathon for Latin America: Developing Latin America 2012. But it's likely that some readers are not sure what a hackathon is or above all, what it's for. Here we try to answer those questions with definitions, examples, and two video interviews with Argentinian hacker Mariano Crowe.

30 October 2012

Iran: Four Facebook Users Arrested

According to several Iranian news sites,four people were arrested and charged with “propaganda activities against the regime and insulting officials in Facebook” in the southern city of Sirjan.

30 October 2012

Greece: Public TV Journalists Fired After Criticizing Minister

On October 29, two journalists, Kostas Arvanitis and Marilena Katsimi, were fired by the Greek Public Television (ERT) after analyzing claims by British newspaper The Guardian of police torture of Greek anti-fascist protesters in Athens, and criticizing the Greek Minister of Public Order. Explore this and other recent censorship examples.

30 October 2012