Stories about Citizen Media from May, 2010
Brazil: 5XFavela: Art Breaking Social and Cultural Barriers
5X Favela is a social and cultural project that resulted in a feature film about the country's favelas being presented this week at the Cannes Film Festival. It is the first Brazilian feature film of its kind to be made by slum-dwellers themselves. But before traveling to the festival, Felha, one of the directors was randomly humiliated by police, showing that we still have some way to go in altering this stigma of Brazilian society.
Uruguay: First Woman Elected as Intendant of Montevideo
Ana Olivera, a member of the Uruguayan Communist Party was elected Municipal Intendant of Montevideo. Her candidacy and the politics and history behind it gave social media users and bloggers a lot to talk about.
Nigeria: A debate on pedophilia, Sharia law, and the ‘two’ Nigerias
The headline is tabloid-esque: "Nigerian senator marries 13-year-old girl". It refers to 49-year-old Ahmad Sani Yerima, whose marriage a few weeks ago has drawn criticism from around the country, playing into the divide between the Muslim north and Christian south of Nigeria.
Malawi: The world reacts after sentencing of gay couple
A day after the world marked International Day against Homophobia, a court in Malawi sentenced Malawi gay couple to jail for fourteen years.
MENA: International Day Against Homophobia Celebrated
May 17th marks the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is still a region for concern according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (IGLA), as homosexual acts are still legally punishable in all MENA countries with the exception of Israel. Despite this, there are associations in the region which openly and passionately celebrated IDAHO; Katharine Ganly takes a look at some of the major events in the region.
Pakistan: The Draw Mohammed Day Controversy
A controversial Facebook campaign called “Everybody Draw Muhammed Day” has irked many Muslims across the world. This has also caused an uproar in the Pakistani blogosphere and many bloggers are questioning the motives, the necessity and the hypocrisy behind this initiative.
South Africa: Nation mourns passing of Dr Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert
The day was July 9 1987. The place was Dakar, Senegal. The participants - members of the then banned African National Congress and a group of 61 influential white Afrikaners. The mission – sketch a new, democratic future for South Africa. Amongst this delegation was a man who would become a giant in South African politics – Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert.
Ethiopia: Activists use new media to ensure free and fair election
As Ethiopians are preparing themselves for parliamentary election scheduled for May 23, 2010, two organisations are using new media to ensure free and fair elections. Ethiopia CommonBorders, a community-based organisation, uses social networking site, Facebook, as part of its online campaign while Ethiopia Vote Monitor uses a web-based platform to collect and visualise election information on a map.
Africa: International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia comes to Africa
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)) is a day is recognized by people joining together to speak out against homophobia, its effects and results focusing on ways to change how people perceive homosexuality and promote equality. The day is held on May 17 every year. The focus this year is on three Africa countries: Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.
Chile: The Rebirth After the Earthquake Tragedy
The 2010 Global Voices Citizen Media Summit sought to engage Chilean bloggers through a blogging competition organized in collaboration with the organization OCD Iberoamérica. Here is the winning post written by Isidora Barroso.
Reactions to the Greek Financial Crisis and the IMF from the Africansphere
With the challenges facing the Greek economy and the ensuing intervention from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reactions from African bloggers range from cautionary tales from past experiences to lessons that ought to be learned for their own regions.
China: Is there a place in education for high culture?
Is there a place for liberal education in today’s modern society, where competition for jobs is fierce, and occupations are increasingly specialized and technical? An April issue of the Southern Metropolitan Weekend published a letter written by a Year 3 university student from Tianjin, a major metropolis in Northeast China:...
China reconnects Xinjiang
After more than 10 months of near to complete online darkness, internet service resumed Friday in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to a notice from the Xinjiang Government News Office,. The notice was first posted at Tianshan Net, then quickly distributed to other online news services across the country. Several blogs...
South Africa: Finding Common Ground Amidst “Race War”
South Africans are definitely not colour blind. Forty-odd years of apartheid has ensured that the concept of race is entrenched in the hearts and minds of many South Africans. The dawn of democracy in 1994 gave birth to hopes of an equal society. However, sixteen years on, it is becoming increasingly evident that race is a hurdle that South Africans are struggling to overcome. Judging from the blogosphere, it seems that South Africans are weary of being labeled and truly long to find common ground.
Chile: Thoughts About the Earthquake and Reconstruction Process
The 2010 Global Voices Citizen Media Summit sought to engage Chilean bloggers through a blogging competition organized in collaboration with the organization OCD Iberoamérica. Here is a look at 4 of the 5 Chilean blogger finalists. The winning post will be featured in another GV post.
China: expelling the unemployed from Shenzhen
Ridding the city of those unemployed for longer than three months—that’s what Shenzhen’s vice mayor and police chief suggested April 29 in response to security problems in this special economic zone in South China. The suggestion has generated a strong online response. In a meeting with the Hong Kong-Macau Political...
Kenya: Netizens discuss proposed constitution of Kenya
The proposed constitution of Kenya has been officially published and will have to be subjected to a referendum. The proposed constitution results from the Harmonized draft constitution that was written by the Committee of Experts last year. The Kenyan Attorney General officially published the proposed constitution on April 7, 2010. Kenyans are currently discussing the document online.
Japan: Caterpillar, by director Wakamatsu
The Tokyo Reporter gives an overview [en] on the latest movie by Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu Caterpillar [ja], a film that “attacks the hypocrisy inherent in nationalism and the suffering of innocent civilians.”
Mozambique: Aid spat
Donor countries briefly suspended budget support to the Mozambican government over corruption concerns, sparking analysis and debate about aid, corruption and governance.
Colombia: A Look at Twitter Use Around the Country
Over the course of two months, the community site Twitter Colombia analyzed 3 million Tweets from 20,000 users in the country, as way to take a snapshot of the use of this microblogging tool.
Photo Contest of CSIS Southeast Asia Program
The CSIS Southeast Asia Program is organizing a photo contest to feature images taken in Southeast Asia that demonstrate the importance of communication and cooperation – across countries, races and religions.
