· October, 2010

Stories about Citizen Media from October, 2010

Tanzania: Running for Office While Combining Kangas With Social Media

Danish blogger Pernille Bærendtsen looks at the use of traditional elements and social media in Tanzania election campaigns focusing on Zitto Kabwe, the parliamentary candidate for Kigoma North. Her post is titled "Running for Office (While Combining Kangas and Social Media). Kanga is a piece of printed cotton fabric worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa.

19 October 2010

Kenya: My Life as a Transgender Girl in Kenya

Lindsay is a transgendered woman living in Kenya who shares her life and her journey to womanhood on her blog Living Lindsay- My life as a transgender girl in Kenya. She describes herself as “I'm a normal girl with not-so-normal traits. I am transgender, or transsexual if you like.”

18 October 2010

Mexico: The Lerma River is Dying

The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico’s second longest river. It used to be a source of drinking water for the capital and the central part of the country, but today the river is infected by a considerable number pollutants.

15 October 2010

Mario Vargas Llosa and His Relationship with Peru

The sometimes conflictive relationship between Mario Vargas Llosa and Peru is key to understanding the body of his literary work. After the news that the author received the Nobel Prize for Literature, some Peruvian writers and literary enthusiasts have written a few lines that try to demonstrate what Vargas Llosa means to them and to the country.

15 October 2010

South Africa: How Do You Fairly Select Best Bloggers?

The winners of South Africa Blog Awards 2010 were announced on 25 September 2010 at the annual awards ceremony at the One & Only hotel, Cape Town. Some South African bloggers think that the process used to select best bloggers is not fair. Here is a roundup of their criticisms and suggestions.

15 October 2010

El Salvador: The Right to Water

Tim's El Salvador Blog is participating in Blog Action Day with a post on the right to water: “Water is a a paradox in El Salvador. At many times there...

15 October 2010

Myanmar (Burma): The Plight of the Karen

The ethnic minority of the Karen are one of the groups that have been targeted by the Burmese army in its effort to defend the military regime. Burma Matters Now brings us a few videos that speak out about the plight of the Karen people as they try to survive in a violent environment.

14 October 2010

Zambia: Are Journalists Dogs or Watchdogs?

Zambian journalists have recently been in the news not as reporters and editors but as victims after an opposition parliamentarian, Mumbi Phiri, labeled those working for state-controlled media organisations as Lt-Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha's dogs. Lt-Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha is the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services. Zambians online discuss her statement and apology.

14 October 2010

Mexico: Blogosphere Previews United Nations Climate Change Conference- COP 16

The next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 16) will take place from November 29 to December 10, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico. Bloggers are analyzing whether the conference will bring the usual disappointment about a lack of action, or if this time it will provide a new perspective and a new opportunity where failure is not an option.

13 October 2010

Chile: All Mapuche Prisoners End Hunger Strike

The general hunger strike carried out by Mapuche prisoners prosecuted under Chile's anti-terrorism law reached its final closure today. The end was reached after prisoners in the cities of Angol and Victoria, as well as a Mapuche youth held in youth detention center, ended their strike. Most Mapuche prisoners had ended the protest on October 2.

12 October 2010

Venezuela: Reactions to the Law of Military Service

At the beginning of October, the government declared that those not enrolled in the military record before October 21, 2010 would face penalties. The government's decision to "reactivate" the Military Conscription and Enlistment Law has generated an attitude of resistance from civil society, stronger than usual for orders coming from President Hugo Chávez.

12 October 2010

China: Liu Xiaobo the intellectual

On 8 October 2010, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is a renowned literary critic, political essayist and activist based in Beijing. Trained in literature and philosophy...

9 October 2010

Azerbaijan: Playing the Armenian card

As Azerbaijan prepares for parliamentary elections on 7 November, opposition bloggers are unhappy with the conduct of the vote so far. Now, they report, the local media is starting to publish what they consider to be black propaganda aimed at discrediting opposition candidates in the eyes of the electorate.

8 October 2010

Venezuela: Analysis and Reactions to Legislative Election Results

The results of the legislative elections of September 26 gave the opposition 65 seats in the National Assembly, even though they obtained the majority of the vote with 52%; while the ruling party with 48% of the vote, obtained 98 seats. The reactions to these results have been varied, and many citizens have turned to the Internet to voice their opinion and analysis through blogs and Twitter.

5 October 2010