Stories about Citizen Media from February, 2011
A declaration of love to the Portuguese language, in all its variations
On February 21 Global Voices in Portuguese commemorated International Mother Language Day with a tribute to the lusophony in all its linguistic and cultural diversity. Read the blogsphere's reflections on the first novel dedicated to the Portuguese language, Milagrário Pessoal - the most recent work by the Angolan author José Eduardo Agualusa.
Côte d'Ivoire: Violent Repression of Street Protests
After a little rest in coverage, the international media is once again looking to Côte d'Ivoire. The last five days have seen the country experience further violence and increased radicalisation of Ivorian netizens' speeches.
China: Open letter from Jasmine organizers
Human Rights in China translated an open letter, first posted on Boxun's temporary website, from the organizers of the Chinese Jasmine rallies held on 20 February 2011. The letter calls for people to gather every Sunday to continue to push for political reforms in China.
Yemen: Bullets, Screams and Sirens (Video)
Breaking reports from Yemen's capital Sanaa claim that at least one university student has been killed and many others wounded in late-night fights with pro-government forces.
Morocco: King Sets Up Economic and Social Council
After a visit to France, Morocco's King Mohammed VI returned to the Royal Palace in Casablanca to announce the initiation of an Economic and Social Council on Monday, February 22, 2011. The Council, first established in the 1996 Constitution, has been a long time in coming.
South Korea: Botched Spying Attempt Embarrasses Citizens
South Korea’s intelligence agency has made the headlines after its agents allegedly broke into an Indonesian delegation’s hotel room last week in Seoul, in an attempt to steal classified information on Indonesia’s arms trade plans. The three intruders - two men and a woman - fled after they were caught copying files onto a USB stick by a delegate.
Yemen: Walking the Walk, One More Protester Dies (Videos)
A teenager was shot and killed in Aden, Yemen on Monday, February 21, 2011 as tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in four separate cities on the 11th day of protests calling for the end of the three-decade reign of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Video: Learning a New Language Through Online Video
February 21st is the International Mother Language Day and this year's theme is Linguistic Diversity and New Technologies. With that in mind, we bring you a series of examples of how people are helping others to learn their mother languages using videos and websites.
Chile: Social Media Reactions Against Coal Mining Project
The approval of a coal mining mega-project in Isla Riesco, nature and protected species sanctuary in southern Chile, reveals a serious environmental conflict of interests that is being analyzed and denounced on the active Chilean social networks.
Côte d'Ivoire: Opposite Sides Demonstrated on February 19
On the blog “Actu et Opinions”, a post states: Meetings in Abidjan: 2 weights, 2 measures [FR] where one learned that demonstrators did not receive the same reception from the police force depending on whether they were pro-Ouattara or pro-Laurent Gbagbo. According to the Twitter feed #CIV2010, there were 3...
Libya: Death Before Liberty (Videos)
Since the uprising against the rule of Libya's Muammar Al Gaddafi, a dedicated group of people have been sending their videos and photos to the outside world so we can better view what is happening inside the country's larger towns. Very important today, these pieces will be reminders of the demonstrations and the government's violent reactions for years to come.
Russia: Blog Mapping Project Launches
Creators of crowdsourcing mapping service blog-map.ru ambitiously aim to “unite all bloggers on one map.” Despite many incorrectly mapped blogs, the service offers quite unusual experience of finding Russian bloggers even in the most distant places [RUS].
Voices from Libya: “It's a massacre” (Audio)
The online group feb17voices has begun interviewing and collecting audio testimonies of people throughout Libya. What they've created is a very personal and immediate perspective of the protests and how people are dealing with the chaos and violence.
Djibouti: Will it become another Egypt?
Protests are taking place in Djibouti against President Ismail Omar Guelleh who succeeded his uncle Hassan_Gouled_Aptidon in 1999. Somaliland Press reports that 300 protesters demonstrated near the governmental palace on Friday. Will Djibouti become another Egypt?
Libya-Italy: online reactions to the “Berlusconi connection”
Given the recently close relationship between Gheddafi and the Italian government, materials and many varying opinions on this unusual bond are emerging. Here is an overview of what is being posted on the Internet in Italian (and other languages) in recent hours - including significant satirical comic strips.
Venezuela: Brazilian Music in Venezuela's Web 2.0
The cultural relationship between Brazil and Venezuela is commonly seen in the way carnival is celebrated and in the high ratings Brazilian soap operas have enjoyed in Venezuela for many years. But today, through blogs, MySpace and YouTube, Venezuelan groups are sharing their arrangements and interpretations of Brazilian music.
Libya: “Tonight is the night. TONIGHT.”
Events in Libya can no longer be termed just anti-government protests. Fighting with anything from heavy weapons to clubs and sticks has broken out throughout certain cities between defecting members of the military who have joined civilians against the remaining factions of Muammar Al Gaddafi's government and foreign mercenaries he has brought in to protect his regime.
Vietnam: Self-immolation to protest corruption
A Vietnamese engineer named Pham Thanh Son apparently set himself afire to protest the confiscation of his family’s property by local authorities. Pictures of the tragedy were posted online.
Tanzania: Bomb Explosions: Bloggers and Twitterers Speak Out
Tanzanian bloggers and twitterers react to bomb explosions at a Tanzanian army base in Dar es Salaam’s Gongo la Mboto suburb that killed at least 30 people early Thursday. A similar accident occurred In April 2009 at Mbagala Army depot and killed at least 26 people.
Yemen: Another Life Claimed on Eighth Day of Protests
Protests in Yemen against President Ali Abdullah Saleh entered into an eighth day on Saturday with more demonstrations throughout much of the country. Clashes between protesters and the military seem to be worsening by the day since the demonstrations began on February 11.
Mexico: Video Game “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” Draws Mixed Reactions
A new video game, "Call of Juarez: The Cartel" by game developer Ubisoft, has drawn criticism from Mexican officials due to its allusions to the ongoing drug and gang violence in the country. But netizens are at odds about the game and the local politician's efforts to ban it.
