Stories about Citizen Media from December, 2011
Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Handed 11-Year Prison Sentence
An Ethiopian court handed prison sentences of 11 years on Tuesday 27 December to Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, two Swedish journalists accused of supporting terrorism in the country.
Russia: Moscow Election Committee Calls to Prosecute Popular Blogger
Moscow Election Committee had issued an official letter to the Prosecutor's office and the police to start an investigation of probable defamation against Oleg Kozyrev, one of the top Russian bloggers, blogger reports [ru]. The letter is the reply to Kozyrev's complaint letter he had sent to the Committee earlier.
Bahrain: Message to Netizens
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif shares this message with fellow netizens: “[T]emper your attacks and choose your battles wisely. Refrain from childish attacks on the very bridge who can help your cause. The last thing we want .. is to continue to shout at each other, rather than find the...
‘Developing Latin America': Open Data Projects
The 'Desarrollando Latin América' (Developing Latin America) competition, a public hackathon for creating technological solutions to education, security and budgetary problems in six countries in the region, took place on the 3rd and 4th of December. Juan Arellano, who acted as a judge in Lima (Peru), summarises the results and the reactions from the participants.
A Radical Solution For Global Poverty: Open Borders
Various experts say that extreme poverty isn't inevitable. The most radical solution to drastically reducing global poverty would be, for many economic experts, opening the borders between countries and allowing workers to migrate where labor is most needed.
Morocco: The Tale of the February 20 Movement in 20 Videos
A look back at how the Moroccan pro-democracy movement "February 20" has used videos, as very powerful and viral social media tool to get its message across. Hisham Almiraat shares a selection of the 20 most popular and viral videos that marked the course of the February 20 Movement over the past 10 months.
Egypt: Reaping Legal Victories as the Revolution Continues
Egyptians are reaping victories in the halls of courtrooms. First, blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah has been released by a judge pending investigations, after spending 56 days behind bars yesterday. Then, a court ruled today that conducting virginity tests on women in the custody of the military is illegal.
Taiwan: Crowd-funded investigative journalism website kicks off
weReport, a Taiwan media project that tries to boost disappearing investigative journalism using crowd-funded and crowd-sourced mechanism, kicks off today with its first fully funded proposal proposed by China famous blogger Zola. His proposal to investigate the situation of registration fee for cross-strait marriage derives from his personal experience.
Peru: Afro-Peruvian Christmas Music
Christmas, a Christian celebration that arrived in Perú with the Spaniards at the beginning of the sixteenth century, was adapted over the years by different Peruvian communities. The black community also managed to incorporate its own individuality in the festivities, expressing its particular experiences in the artistic creations made to honor the holiday.
Bhutan: A Father's Letter to His Son
Jurmi Chhowing writes a lovely, heart-warming letter to his son, on the occasion of his son's birthday
Costa Rica: Numerous Sectors Oppose Government Tax Plan
At the moment, the biggest priority for the Costa Rican government is to approve the "Tax Solidarity" (Solidaridad Tributaria) tax plan. However, various sectors of society, political parties and businessmen have declared their strong opposition to it.
Peru: Blogger Discusses Discrimination in Interview with Indigenous Peruvians
Blogger Carlos Quiroz from Peruanista interviewed three indigenous Peruvians living in Lima, including Julián Apaza, whose brother, Ricardo Apaza, recently suffered from discrimination at a Lima movie theater. In the video interview [es] they discuss racism, Andean indigenous cultures, what it is like to be of native descent, and whether...
Colombia: Vigil for the Release of Hostages
On December 23, Las Voces del Secuestro [es] (“Voices of Kidnappings”) called for a ‘great vigil for the release of hostages’ [es], which “has as its main point of concentration the Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota, which for 17 years has received people accompanying relatives of hostages.” Vigils were also...
Chile: If You Are a Maid, Identify Yourself
Class discrimination or simple rules of a private club? A golf club's regulation forbidding maids or nannies to enter the pool zone and forcing them to dress so they can be clearly identified has sparked numerous reactions in the Chilean cyberspace.
Liberia: Who Was at Fault for Monrovia Riots?
The Christmas vacation job scheme designed by Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to benefit 3,000 students turned Liberia's capital, Monrovia, into a scene of violence and destruction. Who was at fault?, netizens ask.
Brazil: Murder or Suicide of Controversial Blogger?
Blogger Alexander Hamilton, 'the Mosquito', was found dead in his apartment in Brazil. According to the police, it was a case of "suicide by hanging." This quick conclusion, however, has not convinced his friends and family, who are demanding a rigorous investigation of the case.
Macedonia: Christmas Tree Made of Plastic Bottles
Inspired by the example of Kaunas, Lithuania, Macedonian Twitter users made a Christmas tree from plastic bottles at the Skopje City Park on Dec. 25, to raise awareness of everyone's responsibility for the environment. The action's organizers used their blogs [mk, mk, mk, mk] as a starting point for the...
Zambia: Has the 90 Days Promise Been Fulfilled?
Zambia’s new government reached its landmark 90 days in government on December 23, a period during which it promised to turn around people’s lives. Netizens on various social networking sites have been assessing the new government’s achievements, if any, and failures.
Syria: Regime Affiliates Try to Frame Muslim Brotherhood for Damascus Car Bombs
Syrian official media outlets yesterday published a statement allegedly issued by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood taking responsibility for the twin car-bomb attacks that caused heavy casualties in Damascus on Friday. Several irregularities and inconsistencies in the regime's story prompted a few Syrian netizens to investigate the matter further.
Yemen: The Amazing Life March Arrives in Sanaa
Thousands of Yemenis just arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, after marching from the city of Taiz in the south, to call for the trial of Yemeni president Ali Abdulla Saleh. The aim of the 264km march, which protesters undertook on foot, is to demand the that Saleh, who was granted immunity from prosecution for his involvement in an 11-month crackdown on protesters demanding democracy, gets punished for his crimes.
Singapore Memory Project
irememberSG is part of the Singapore Memory Project, a national initiative to “collect, preserve and provide access to the memories” of a nation which rose to become one of the most prosperous cities in the world.
