Stories about Citizen Media from December, 2008
Brazil: Chico Mendes lives on, 20 years after his death
Bloggers remember and pay homage to Chico Mendes, the man whose actions highlighted the plight of the Amazon internationally, and who was murdered twenty years ago by those who were opposed to his activism.
Guinea: Late President Lansana Conté's legacy
Sofa Jawaro of The sword of truth reflects on the legacy of late President Lansana Conté of Guinea, and about what the future holds for the country after 24 years of dictatorship.
Caucasus: 2008 Blog Review
Last year ended with a state of emergency declared in Georgia, but few could imagine that the events of 2008 would eclipse those of 2007. Three presidential elections, a war, and yet another state of emergency defined the South Caucasus this year, and bloggers were there to document events from...
Japan: The year in Japanese blogs
What were bloggers writing about this year in the Japanese blogosphere? The year in Japanese blogs at Global Voices included posts on everything from an American Enka singer making waves in Japan, to debates on the regulation of “harmful” Internet content, to the Olympic torch relay in Nagano.
Angola: On The Lack of Human Rights
In the mood for the Human Rights Day celebrations this December, Angolan bloggers have much to say. Angola has still not ceased appearing in reports about violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, despite holding a seat on the Human Rights Council.
Memories of Christmas in Cameroon
Expats in Cameroon blog about how they are spending the Christmas holidays in their host country, while Cameroonian bloggers abroad write about their memories of spending those special days back home.
Venezuela: Telling the Country's History Through Film
A group of young Venezuelan filmmakers have succeeded in illustrating some of the country's history or adapting famous pieces of literature through films that have been well-received by the general public. Many Venezuelan movies in the past are considered extremely violent, and the emergence of these new kinds of films are showing new expressions of creativity.
Caribbean: 2008 in Review
From natural disasters to lightning bolts of the athletic kind, 2008 was a busy one for the Caribbean blogosphere. Here are some of the highlights...
A Caribbean Christmas
'Tis the season - and nowhere celebrates Christmas quite like the Caribbean! Here's a glimpse into what bloggers are doing to get into the spirit of the festivities...
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane: Celebrating Christmas with “Chanté Nwel”
With Christmas approaching, the French Overseas Departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane are vibrating to the tune of their folk musical instruments like ka (a big drum)[Fr], ti-bwa (two bamboo sticks)[Fr] and of Christmas Carols. Welcome to the world of “Chanté Nwel” (Singing for Christmas). In the blog Sous le...
Barbados: Journalists Arrested
The Barbadian blogosphere is an uproar following the arrest of two mainstream media journalists - a move that bloggers are interpreting as an assault on press freedom.
Trinidad & Tobago: Earthquake & Flood
From Trinidad and Tobago, Coffeewallah blogs about an early morning earthquake: “It was really something that jolt, makes you wonder if the universe is trying to tell us something, floods, earthquake, what next, a plague of grasshoppers?”, while TriniView.com posts photos of the recent flooding she refers to.
Brazil: Against Illegal Abortion or Against Women?
Abortion is a very complex issue in Brazil, just like almost everywhere else in Latin America, where it is considered a crime. Despite this, over 1,000,000 clandestine abortions take place in Brazil and over 70,000 women die of complications from clandestine abortion attempts every year. Daniel Duende takes a look at the new moves in the clash between pro-life and pro-choice movements.
Former Tunisian Diplomat Sentenced To 8 Years By French Court
Khaled Ben Said, an ex-vice-consul in Strasbourg, was convicted of having ordered acts of torture and barbary upon fellow countrywoman Zulaikha Gharbi when a police superintendent in the Tunisian city of Jendouba 12 years ago, and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment by a criminal court in this same Strasbourg, by the way the seat of the European Court of Human Rights.
Egyptian Spinsters
The outcasts of the Egyptian society – the spinsters – are raising their voices in an attempt to change how society views them. Khokha – the anonymous author of The daily diaries of a sinister spinister - says: انا عشت حبة كل ما اقول رأى ولا كلمة … يردوا فى...
Egypt: Gamal Eid detained and deported from Jordan
The Jordanian intelligence prevents Gamal Eid, the General Manager of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), from entering Jordan because of his criticism of freedom of expression in Jordan two years ago,The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, The Skeptic reports the details.
Looking at Egypt's First Female Mayor
Eva Habil, a 53 year-old Christian lawyer, became Egypt’s first female mayor on December 14, representing Komboha, a rural town in conservative Upper Egypt with a Coptic majority community. Yusra of Muslimah Media Watch wrote: Habil, whose father was mayor of Komboha, beat out five male candidates, including her younger...
Media Re:public report released
Media Re:public, a project of the The Berkman Center for Internet and Society, today released their long-awaited report on the state of networked digital media. The report, “Media Re:public, News and Information as Digital Media Come of Age,” analyzes the challenges and opportunities of networked digital media. While United States...
Cameroon: Concern for freedom
Though Cameroon is not the focus of world attention, some recent blog posts question the reality of freedom in this African country. On his blog [fr], Édouard Tamba worries about freedom in his country: Le 8 novembre dernier, le sous-préfet de Yaoundé II débarque au Palais des congrès avec l’intention...
Gambia: Tribute to slain journalist Deyda Hydara
Sofa Jawaro of The sword of truth pays a tribute to slain Gambian journalist Deyda Hydara on the 4th anniversary of his murder.
Kenya: Media protests communication bill
During Kenya’s 45th independence celebrations on December 12th, the media protested against the government's proposted Communication Amendment bill, a law that if passed will give them rights to regulate the content of electronic media. Bloggers react to the confrontations between the media and the government.
