Stories about Citizen Media from August, 2021
Quilombola communities lament environmental damage of industry around Aratu Port, in Brazil’s Bahia State
Local residents report the disappearance of shellfish and mangroves, blaming factories for water pollution.
Digital Campaign in Bangladesh gains momentum as women speak up against misogyny
A feminist grassroots network in Bangladesh has started an innovative campaign on Facebook to protest the media trial, moral policing and sexist language in covering women celebrities.
Eccentric reggae pioneer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry dies at 85
"Jamaica has lost the rhythm and soul of a prolific music icon who has inspired many. Perry was one of the most important creative figures to come out of Jamaica."
Ken Behrens-Canberrans caption error creates Australia's accidental COVID-19 hero
"In response to Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s kind words, I’d like to say 'You’re welcome' ;p. Though please don’t tell him that I’m not actually at home right now!"
Earth Defenders Toolkit launched to help communities navigate digital tools for defending environmental rights
Launched in July 2021, the toolkit aims to enable grassroots environmental protection communities to find and use the resources most helpful to them without seeding their dependence on external support.
After weeks of hesitancy and soaring COVID numbers, Jamaicans crowd vaccination centres
With the presence of the Delta variant confirmed, soaring rates of new COVID-19 infections, and the availability of the Pfizer vaccine, Jamaicans finally seem ready to get over vaccine hesitancy.
Masks save lives, but they’re also becoming a gargantuan waste problem
The pandemic has led to an exponential rise in the amount of plastic waste and in Nepal, much of it is not properly segregated or disposed of.
Blogger gets prison sentence for branding Kazakhstan's language policies “russophobic”
According to Taichimbekov, the Kazakh state has been "sourcing Russian individuals who speak out in favor of banning Russian television, banning Russian language, excluding it from the Constitution."
More independent media added to Russia's “foreign agent” roster
"As for the list of foreign agents, by now it has so many decent people and publications on it that not to be on this list is simply indecent."
With attacks on Ukrainian activists on the rise, civic pressure is key to ensuring justice
Harassment and attacks against civic activists in Ukraine are on the rise, say human rights defenders. Anti-corruption work, environmentalism, and LGBT rights remain the most dangerous spheres of activism.
Russian authorities declare independent election monitor Golos a “foreign agent”
Golos has vowed to continue training Russian citizens as observers and commissioners at polling stations, and said it believes independent citizen observation is key to ensuring a transparent election.
An eight-year-old boy is the youngest person ever accused of blasphemy in Pakistan’s history
An eight-year-old Hindu boy has become the youngest person ever to be charged under Pakistan's blasphemy laws after he intentionally urinated in an Islamic religious school library.
After Dutch Literary Prize winner says Suriname ‘needed’ former president Bouterse, organisers cancel her award ceremony
In 2019, Dési Bouterse, who first came to power in a coup, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was convicted for the execution 15 dissidents in 1982.
Déjà vu as bauxite company pollutes an iconic Jamaican river, yet again
"The repeated nature of these offences suggests a lack of respect for Jamaica’s environmental laws and regulations and the human rights of those who have been negatively affected."
Eleven years after its last devastating earthquake, an even stronger one hits Haiti
Not only was this earthquake more intense than 2010's, it was also closer to the surface, and was followed by several substantial aftershocks, prompting a tsunami alert in the region.
Belarus court labels independent media outlets Tut.by, Zerkalo.io as ‘extremist’
The ruling applies to every single piece of content on the Tut.by and Zerkalo.io websites, as well as to all content posted on their social media channels.
In Turkey, a social media battle amid ongoing blazes
To counter the trending #HelpTurkey the government responded with its own hashtags #StrongTurkiye and #WeDontNeedHelp.
Down with the patriarchy: Transfeminist and non-binary Bolivians speak out on TikTok
La Pesada Subversiva hopes to "invade" online spaces with content about anti-patriarchal demands from the voices of the protagonists themselves.
The Brazilian professor who created a crayon set to talk about identity and racial issues
Gladis Kaercher talks about her path as a researcher in the field of Education and the creation of teaching resources for the representation of different skin tones in children's drawings
Thousands of #StrandedAussies angry as border restrictions expand
The hashtag #StrandedAussies trended as citizens criticized Australia's expanded border restrictions.
Arab content creators use social media to talk about sex, sexuality and reproductive health
'If we continue to avoid these conversations and to treat sexual education like a taboo, we are, in fact, only harming those that we are trying to protect.'
