Stories about Citizen Media from March, 2009
Malawi: Female Candidates and the Politics of Regionalism
With two months to go before Malawians vote in presidential and parliamentary elections on May 19th, 2009, the soup du jour has evolved around two developments, the first one being the recent arrest and release on bail of former president Dr. Bakili Muluzi. The second development is the unusual visit to the country by former presidents of Ghana and Mozambique who are attempting, unjustifiably, according to the blog Chingwe's Hole, to prevent what they fear might be a potential violent conflict in the run up to the elections and possibly in the aftermath.
Brazil: Lula and Obama meet as economic crisis hits Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is the first Latin American leader to have met the US President Barack Obama. The meeting took place in Washington, this Saturday March 14. The leaders have talked about Global economic crisis, trade, environment, energy and biofuel technology, and building a more constructive relationship with neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the global crisis has begun to hit Brazil hard.
Guatemala: Opposition to Mining Operations
A recent BBC story reported on skin infections showing up in several indigenous communities in Guatemala. Many from the community and other activists are placing blame on an open-pit mining company for the health problems. These new findings are the latest in a series of arguments about the negative effects of mining. Bloggers have joined the online debate that say that mining is damaging and dangerous for local communities and the environment.
Global recession and its discontents
Today the world seems flat. From Asia and Africa to Europe and the Americas, the people of the world are experiencing the traumatic effects of a global economic recession. This post is an attempt to describe the social impact of the great financial crisis as seen and felt by ordinary citizens around the world.
Brazil: On the Vatican's condemnation of raped-child's abortion
A 9-year-old girl several times raped and made pregnant by her stepfather was guaranteed the right to have an abortion legally in Brazil. After the operation, the Roman Catholic Church excommunicated the mother, the doctor and the whole medical team responsible for the operation. This has sparkled a great debate in Brazil: What is the Church's role in society?
Dominican Republic: Upset at World Baseball Classic by Dutch Team
The 2nd edition of the World Baseball Classic tournament is underway and features Major League baseball players representing traditional baseball powers like the the Dominican Republic whose roster was filled with professional All-Star talent. The tournament also features countries with less tradition playing this sport, such as the Netherlands, who pulled off two improbable victories over the Dominican team eliminating them from the competition.
Japan, Brazil: Crisis puts an end to the dream of a better life
After 30 years of a strong immigration trend from Brazil to Japan, young Brazilians who have crossed the ocean in search of a better life are now leaving their adopted country. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 50,000 Brazilians have lost their jobs and, unable to compete in the shrinking Japanese job market, have decided it is time to make the journey back home.
Japan: Making money thanks to the economic crisis.
If on one hand libraries and newspaper kiosks overflow with books and magazines that examine, analyze and comment on the current economic recession hitting Japan, then on the other hand, many people have begun to think that, if there are losers (layoffs and companies in the red), there must also...
Colombia: Monuments and Landmarks
A year ago we wrote about Vlog International, a network of Spanish speaking vloggers who send in videos on a certain topic, and then one of them puts them all together into a short collaborative video. This last one asked vloggers to show which monuments are an important part of their city, and the answers came from different parts of Colombia, Mexico, and the US.
Cambodia: Foreign aid continues during economic crisis
Reports of foreign aid to Cambodia continue despite the global economic crisis. CAAI News Media shares news that the United States will give Cambodia $21 million USD over four years in a program to alleviate poverty in rural parts of the country.
Brazil: Introducing the Web, a “Digital Baptism”
A "Digital Baptism" workshop brought digital inclusion to Belo Horizonte, the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais this Saturday, introducing the basics of using a computer to those who had never had the chance before or teaching more advanced tools to more advanced users. See some pictures and videos from the action packed day.
Video: Celebrating Women on their International Day
International Women's Day has been celebrated since the early 1900s: at first as a reminder of all the wrongs done to womankind and the long hard row necessary to achieve equality and fight for women's rights. However, for the past few years, many of the original points of dissention have been resolved and right now the day is used to celebrate the positive improvements instead of a reminder of the bad events. And through poetry marches and songs, we'll see how people around the world do just that.
Guinea-Bissau: Mixed feelings after double killing
The speaker of Guinea-Bissau's parliament has been sworn in as interim leader after the President Joao Bernardo Vieira and the army chief Batista Tagme Na Waie were assassinated. A presidential election must be organized within two months. The army has withdrawn from the streets, and bloggers have reported that life in the city has begun to return to normal, although many people remain very scared.
Nigeria: V Monologues 2009: The Nigerian Story
Ore reports that Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) presents V Monologues: The Nigerian Story, a play based on interviews from 150 women from all over the country.
Myanmar: Blasts Hit Yangon
The Ayeyarwaddy reported that there had been two bomb explosions in Yangon, Myanmar on Tuesday night. Luckily, no one was injured.
Australia: Reactions to “Cricket Terror”
Cricket, that shared legacy of British colonialism, has taken centre stage in Australian blogs following the terror attack in Lahore. This terror attack has taken bushfires off the front pages of Australian newspapers and the lead stories of the electronic media.
Madagascar: “I feel like in a war movie”
The political crisis in Madagascar, unfolding since late January, took yet another turn today with the sound of gun shots and tear gas, as police and protestors clashed all over Antananarivo, the capital city. Eyewitnesses describe the scene on Facebook and Twitter.
Maneno: A Multilingual Blogging Platform Built For African Bloggers
Maneno is a new blogging platform that promises to offer blogging and communication solutions for bloggers with limited or narrow-bandwith in Sub-Saharan Africa. Maneno is a Swahili word, which means “words.” Considering the multilingual nature of the region, Maneno was built to allow for multiple language versions of articles to...
Japan: To you who will graduate this year
Spring is fast approaching, and in Japan that means two things: the fall of cherry blossoms and the start of the new school year, which coincides with last year's graduates joining the workforce. One blogger and university professor posted a letter to a student which struck a drew a huge reaction among Japanese bloggers. The first line of the letter begins, "To you who will graduate this year"...
Israel: Novelist Writes From Palestinian Perspective
Matt Beynon Rees is a Jerusalem-based crime novelist whose third book, The Samaritan's Secret, has just been published to positive reviews. His protagonist is the Palestinian school teacher and amateur sleuth, Omar Yussef. Rees explains: “I think of my novels as humanist, filtering out the politics that makes people see...
Africa: Winners of the First African Blog Award for Journalists Are…
The winners of Waxal - Blogging Africa Awards (BAA) have been announced. Waxal is an initiative of Panos Institute of West Africa (PIWA) with the partnership of Highway Africa and Global Voices Online (Sub-Saharan Africa). Waxal (pronounced WA-HAL), which means “speak” in Wolof, captures the essence of the evolution of the worlwide web as a platform for conversation and for raising marginalized voices.
