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.
Puerto Rico: Presenting the reputable online paper “The Yam”
They are definitely funny. Not to mention that the often absurd and surreal Puerto Rican political landscape gives them plenty of material. They are El Cangrimán, El Rata and Oscar Marrano, the three main writers of the Puerto Rican online-based paper El Ñame.
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.”
China: Declaration on Liu Xiaobo's award of Nobel Peace Prize
Bullogger contains a declaration on Liu Xiaobo's award of Nobel Peace Prize, signed by hundreds of intellectuals, writers, journalists, lawyers and other citizens, including Xu Youyu and Cui Weiping. It is available in Chinese, English, French and Japanese.
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.
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.
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.
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 is too much water, and floods destroy crops or heavy rains produce landslides burying homes. And yet hundreds of thousands...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mexico: Mexico City as Example for Making Latin American Cities More Livable
In Mexico Unmasked, Tim Johnson writes that, “Major cities in Latin America […] have become more livable, friendlier places,” because of “a revolution in urban governance.” He uses Mexico City as an example, describing what happens every Sunday when “Paseo de la Reforma [is] shut down to vehicle traffic and...
Should China continue to support North Korea's Kim dynasty?
North Korea’s next leader Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of ailing Kim Jong-il, made a high-profile public appearance at a gala anniversary celebration in Pyongyang on Saturday. North Korea’s top ally, China, is sending a heavyweight delegation that will stay in North Korea from Saturday to Monday. According to state...
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 in the 1980s, he was then described as a ‘dark horse’ in China’s literary circle for his pointed critiques and...
Latin Americans Comment on Mario Vargas Llosa's Nobel Prize in Literature
Through blogs and Twitter, Latin Americans shared their different views on the announcement that Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa had won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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.
Mexican Cuisine Declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO
Mexican cuisine is well known for its variety of flavors and colors, and for its combination of different spices and unique ingredient. This year it was declared a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.
Argentina: Students from Buenos Aires Protest Education
Michael Chanan from Putney Debater shares a video (with English subtitles) of last month's student occupation of secondary schools in Buenos Aires and their protests outside the Ministry of Education: “Students […] have taken to the streets in protest against the appalling conditions to be found in many of the...
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.
