Stories about Citizen Media from July, 2015
Watch This Giant Rainbow Mural Transform a Low-Income Mexican Neighborhood
A low-income neighborhood in Mexico was transformed in a giant rainbow by the collective Germen Crew—a youth organization of muralists and street artists formed by 15 graffiti artists, under the direction of...
Calls to #StopEvictions as Pakistani Authorities Bulldoze Slums
"Hey CDA: The children’s library in #Islamabad has been occupied by a religious seminary 4 yrs. Would you evict those illegal occupants too?"
German Digital Rights Pioneers Investigated for Treason
The last time a German journalist was charged with treason was in 1962, when the editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel was prosecuted for publishing secret documents about the German defense forces.
“Ethiopians Should Not Wait for Obama to Give Them Democracy”
"The united hands of our people are stronger than that of Western world! Let us do that and reign the democracy we are longing for!"
Azerbaijan's Political Prisoners, the State and its Secret Society
What is with the rows of passive spectators literally taking up space at the trials of the country's most high-profile political prisoners?
Need to Thank the Saints? Mexico Has You Covered
Retablitos, a form of popular art in Mexico made to give thanks for miracles, reflect people's daily anxieties and social realities. You can find collections of them online.
So the Caribbean Walks Into a Bar…
#IfTheCaribbeanWasABar is trending in the regional blogosphere, bringing up issues of shared territory and identity in hilarious and illuminating ways.
Africans Take Jabs at One Another With #IfAfricaWasABar Hashtag
"If Africa was a bar, what would your country be drinking/doing?," Siyanda- Panda, a writer from Botswana, asked on Twitter.
Iran's University of Kurdistan Opens Department of Kurdish Language and Literature for the First Time
Bakhtiar Sajjadi, the new chair of the department, announced last week that 40 students have been accepted to start their studies this October.
Ostula and Mexican Army Hold to Clashing Versions of Recent Attack
In Mexico, the independent investigation agency SubVersiones has published a compilation video that chronologically shows what events that took place on July 19, 2015, in the indigenous Nahua community of Santa María de Ostula. That day ended...
Eiffel Tower Plans? Beware of the ‘Paris Syndrome’
The City of Lights can be both appealing and anxiety-inducing. Here are how some visitors, notably the Japanese, have experienced the city and the feedback from Parisians.
Russia to Web Anonymizers: Shut Up and Go Away
Russian censors are now officially adding anonymizing websites to their blacklist registry, on the grounds they enable access to extremist content that is already blocked in Russia.
Destroying a Mountain: Mexican President Orders Expropriation of Native Lands for Freeway Project
A presidential decree was enough to expropriate almost 100 acres of land from the indigenous Otomi community for the construction of a new highway.
Taiwanese High School Students Arrested After Protesting New Textbook Guidelines
Thirty high-school students and three reporters were arrested for entering the Ministry of Education to protest against new textbook guidelines that tell Taiwan's history from a greater Chinese perspective.
For a Glimpse of Plan Central America's Future, Look to Colombia
Replicating Plan Colombia's failed approach, a Washington aid program for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador combines neoliberal economic reforms with military aid.
Unintentionally Amusing Illustrations Found in Japanese Textbooks
"Thanks to these illustrations, I'm unable to concentrate while studying, haha."
Scroll Through Madagascar History Via Vintage Photographs
Access to the visual history of most former colonial countries in Africa is usually a challenging proposition because former colonial powers restrict access to historical archives. Helihanta RAJAONARISON and Tsiry...
Afghans Nail #GrowingUpAfghan on Twitter
"My dad just asked me to make him tea when it's 84 degrees outside #GrowingUpAfghan."
Uganda Ponders a Sustainable Future as MDGs Become SDGs
Uganda has made clear progress in meeting its development targets in some areas, and almost none in others.
How to Explore Japan By Train Without Ever Leaving Home
There are thousands of YouTube videos that can let you explore almost every part of Japan by train from your own computer.
Videos of Trinidad Jailbreak Show Prisoners Made Confident Exit from Downtown Prison
As somebody quipped on Facebook, it looked like "more of a jail release than a jailbreak".
