Stories about Citizen Media from May, 2015
What Africa Day Means to Africans and Friends of Africa
Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity, when the leaders of 30 independent African states signed a founding charter in Ethiopia.
It's a Small (Social Media) World, After All
Instagram snapshot of kimono-clad Kyoto resident connects two strangers on social media.
Region-wide Presidential Term Limits for West Africa? Not So Fast.
West African leaders have dropped the idea of instituting a two-presidential-term limit across the region, thanks to the opposition of Gambia and Togo, the only member states without term limits.
Peru Sets Up First Bilingual Spanish-Awajun Civil Registrar
May 21 marks the National Day of Cultural and Linguistic Diverisity, and to commemorate the occasion, the Peruvian National Registrar of Identification and Civil Status (Reniec) launched the Awajun-Spanish bilingual civil registrar: Las actas generadas de esta manera tendrán el mismo valor oficial que las actas tradicionales en castellano, y...
In Argentina, a March on the ‘Global Day of Action Against Monsanto’
"In #Argentina 300 million liters of glyphosate are sprayed annually across 28 million hectares of plantation, affecting more than 10 million people."
Iranian Reformists Commemorate the Anniversary of Ex-President Khatami's Election on Twitter
The hashtag #second_ofKhordad_Iam is trending to commemorate the 1997 election of the reformist former President Mohammad Khatami.
Dear Ukrainian Officials: Russian Security Services Thank You for Your Cooperation!
A group of journalists pulled a prank on Ukrainian officials who use Russian email services, alerting them to the dangers of careless information security policies.
Scandal in Argentina as Judges Say a Six-Year Old's Alleged Homosexuality Invited Sexual Abuse
'This moronic "judge" Piombo who calls a six-year-old a transvestite deserves to be thrown in jail!'
Covering Turkey's General Elections, One Tool at a Time
'The organisation uses the concept of crowdsourcing for social activism and public accountability, serving as an initial model for what has been coined as 'activist mapping'.'
At Least 48 Fatalities After Landslide Hits Colombian Village
At least 48 people were killed and an unknown number of people are missing after a landslide caused by heavy rains that hit the community of Salgar, in the Colombian department of Antioquia, in the early hours of May 18, 2015. The secretary of government of Salgar, Zulma Osorio, declared that...
Lima Orchid, a Flower Once Believed to Be Extinct, Blooms Again in the Peruvian Capital
For over 50 years, it was thought that the Lima orchid was an extinct species; but, good news comes from a team from the National Forest and Wildlife Service, which is also part of the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture: Los especialistas encontraron ejemplares de dicha orquídea, típica de las lomas de la cuenca del...
In Bangladesh, It's So Long to Cyber Cafés
Cyber cafés in Bangladesh are shutting down because of easy Internet access on mobile phones. In the past five years, more than 40 percent have closed shop.
Pakistanis Use Twitter To Raise Their Concerns On The Proposed Cybercrime Bill 2015
The proposed Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PEC) Bill in Pakistan has raised concern among local and international human rights organisations as it could put at risk freedom expression and privacy in Pakistan. Mariam at Catalyst Woman blog reports: After the dedicated efforts of numerous advocacy groups, ngos and private citizens,...
Have Bullets Killed the Future of Venezuela's Youth?
In a country like Venezuela, where murder is the leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 19, what hopes can younger generations have?
STATEMENT: Global Voices Calls for Safety of Bangladesh Bloggers
We condemn the recent murders of bloggers and call on authorities to ensure that those responsible for these killings are brought to justice.
Argentinians Organize Online to Demonstrate Against Femicides
Under the hashtag #NiUnaMenos (Not One Less), Argentina is mounting a campaign against the alarming increase in the number of femicides, which shows no signs of going down. Many of the country's public personalities have joined the campaign, like cartoonist Liniers, who used one of his best known characters to participate in the movement. 3...
Japan's ‘Employment Ice Age’ Is Over for New Grads
The April 2015 employment rate of 96.7 percent for new post-secondary graduates has surpassed the 2008 employment rate, just prior to the start of the long global economic downturn.
Pakistani Company Accused of Running Fake Degree Scam Has a History of Silencing Critics
Many people tried to expose Axact's degree fraud before, the NYT didn't break this story, but this is the first time everyone is paying attention.
Why Are Latin Americans Naming Their Children ‘Onur’ and ‘Sherezade'?
One Thousand and One Nights, a Turkish drama series, enjoys incredible success in the Mecca of soap operas: Latin America. But what questions does this success raise?
Amateur Cartoonist Lands Radioactive Drone on Japanese Prime Minister's House
Yasuo Yamamoto's drone carried a small amount of radioactive soil from Fukushima. Japanese netizens quickly discovered that he maintained a blog and published original manga of an unsettling nature.
A Tale of AIDS, Love and Survival in Cuba
During the Special Period in Cuba, rock and heavy metal fans infected themselves with AIDS in order to have better living conditions, Radio Ambulante reports.
