Stories about Citizen Media from January, 2012
Zambia: When Wikipedia Entry “Kills” a President
On the morning of 22 January, Zambians woke up to a statement from State House rebuking news websites for spreading a rumour that President Michael Sata had been assassinated. However, it emerged later that the rumour stemmed from a Wikipedia entry about Michael Sata.
Myanmar (Burma): Betwixt and Between
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging further support from the international community in Myanmar. Such engagement will be particularly important for refugees and internally displaced people.
Taiwan: 2012 Election Sets Example for Mainland Chinese Democratization
On January 14, Taiwan held its presidential and legislative election. In the wake of the polls, netizens wonder if Taiwan can set an example for the future democratization in mainland China. I-fan Lin reports.
Philippines: Blogger House Project
Baratillo Pamphlet writes about the Bloggers for Habitat YouthBuild Philippines project which aims to gather 2,000 youth that will help rebuild the lives of families whose homes were totally damaged by a typhoon.
Video Highlights: Music, Indigenous Initiatives, Indignation and Wonder
A selection of Global Voices' recent and interesting stories including video from Latin America, East Asia, Middle East and North Africa and Eastern and Central Europe, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.
Video: Online Media by and for Indigenous People
Intercontinental Cry has a list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues, some made by indigenous people from Brazil, Australia, Panama, USA, Northern Kenya, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Favourite Proverbs
“I consider them to be expressive and beautiful in a way that is so Caribbean”: Abeni blogs about West Indian proverbs.
Cuba: Internet as a Public Good
“In addition to triggering the greatest civic hell-raising in Internet history…the SOPA/PIPA laws have touched a nerve in Cuba’s digital community”: half-wired explains.
Trinidad & Tobago: Indigenous Portrayal in History
Review of the Indigenous Caribbean republishes a paper on “the dominant, almost doctrinal assertions made about the history of Trinidad and Tobago–with some attention paid to the ways historiographers diminished and extinguished the Indigenous presence.”
Cuba: Knocking & Entering
Laritza's Laws laments that people's homes are not a safe haven from arbitrary searches by government officials.
Guyana: Protest at University
Bloggers report on protests against the firing of journalist and lecturer Freddie Kissoon from the national university, here and here.
China: ‘Anti-American Warrior’ Gets Head Stuck in DC Airport Escalator
One of China's fiercest critics of liberal values hasn't had much to say after he injured his head on an escalator in Washington, DC, on a trip to the US he apparently did not want his followers to know about. John Kennedy reports.
Mexico: An Interactive Map of the Drug War
Diego Valle-Jones has created an interactive map of the drug war in Mexico. “You can link directly to cities or whole regions within Mexico and post them to Twitter and Facebook by clicking on the “Share This Map” link at the bottom of the box. You can even compare 2007...
Nicaragua: The Struggle for Food Sovereignty
Maddy M., a Voices of our Future correspondent for World Pulse, writes about how free trade agreements and other policies have affected the access to affordable, locally-produced, healthy food in Nicaragua. She also highlights citizens who are “working to raise awareness about the need to change the agricultural system in...
Greece: “I Signed the IMF Memorandum Without Having Read It”
Greek netizens have criticized and mocked Minister Chrysochoidis' statement that he never read the IMF memorandum signed by the Greek government, although he had voted for it. Veroniki Krikoni reports.
Argentina: Diplomatic Conflict With United Kingdom Over Falklands
The conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands has intensified over the past decade. Netizens are divided between those who believe that Argentina should abandon its claim for the Falklands and those who support this claim.
Peru: MOVADEF – The Return of the Shining Path?
In the afternoon of January 20, the National Elections Board made known its decision that it was denying, for the second time, the registration of MOVADEF (Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights) as a political party. Social networks were immediately teeming with reactions. But what is MOVADEF, and why is there so much fuss about it?
Egypt: Reactions to Revolution First Anniversary
Greek blogger Asteris Masouras shares this Storify collection to mark the first anniversary of the beginning of the Egyptian revolution on January 25. It includes links to news stories, photographs, videos and Twitter reactions.
Jordan: Let it Snow
The long awaited white visitor has arrived to Jordan, after a couple of dry cold fronts it came and quickly melted. It didn't even accumulate but it brought in lots of joy and happiness to people eager for it. Jordanian netizens report on the country's first snowfall this winter.
Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho” Causes an Uproar
The violent eviction of the community of Pinheirinho, in the city of São José dos Campos, in the state of São Paulo, became known as "Massacre of Pinheirinho" after a demonstration of violence and brutality by the police in the expulsion and intimidation of residents dumped in the midst of a huge legal mess.
Caribbean: TEDx Shows “Ideas Worth Spreading”
“Ideas worth spreading.” With this simple slogan, TED.com, which began in 1984 as an annual conference devoted to technology, entertainment and design, has infiltrated the Internet and empowered people in various countries to spark discussions in local, self-organised TED-branded events, dubbed TEDx. This sharing of ideas has found its way to the Caribbean - in 2011, five TEDx events were held: two in Jamaica, two in Trinidad and one in Puerto Rico. Here's a look back on the events that helped change the region...
