· August, 2012

Stories about Citizen Media from August, 2012

Ethiopia: Online Reactions to Meles Zenawi Death

  25 August 2012

Samuel Gebru, the founder of EGI (Ethiopian Global Initiative) writes on his personal blog: Ethiopia and Africa has lost a formidable leader who worked tirelessly for the transformation of his country and continent. Prime Minister Meles was not perfect and I did not agree with every decision he made. I openly...

Belgium: Police Violence

  25 August 2012

Here is a video showing police in Brussels arresting a drunk man who was beating a woman, before they then start to beat him. A person in the neighborhood filmed the incident.

Macedonia: Crowdsourcing Against Gender-Based Violence

  25 August 2012

Ushahidi blog's current “Deployment of the Week” selection [en, mk] is React! Be Safe! (“Реагираj!”), an online platform against gender-based violence in public spaces [en, mk, sq], launched by the think-tank Reactor, initially covering the Skopje municipalities of Centar and Čair.

Trinidad & Tobago: Political Euphemisms

  24 August 2012

If…you negotiating with crime lords…after your leader state categorically in a 2011 speech in Parliament that she would never negotiate with criminals, well… The Eternal Pantomime blogs about the government's “latest cock up”.

Caribbean: Escape from Tropical Storm Isaac

  24 August 2012

Caribbean netizens have their eye on Tropical Storm Isaac, the ninth such weather system for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Isaac has been steadily moving up the Leeward Islands, and storm warnings and watches have been issued for Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Bloggers share their experiences, post videos and voice their concerns.

Kyrgyzstan: China Inc. Under Attack

  24 August 2012

China’s growing economic presence in Kyrgyzstan continues to be a topic for heated discussion in Kyrgyz society. In the country’s regions, this discourse is reflected in acrimonious standoffs between Chinese companies and locals, confrontations the mainstream media often fails to report on.

Angolan Tourists Spend Big Bucks in Portugal

  24 August 2012

'Little by little we see Angolan money starting to dominate businesses and the economic sectors in Portugal.' According to a netizen this is in stark contrast to 70% of Angola's population which 'is barefoot, have empty stomachs, (and) live in a slum.'

Ecuador on Alert Over Spewing Tungurahua Volcano

  24 August 2012

The Tungurahua volcano has been spewing pyroclastic material and ash throughout this month, affecting thousands of families, crops, and animals. Scientists and citizens use Twitter and Facebook to inform about the Tungurahua's activity.

Russia: Government Bans Serbian Film for Underage Sex and Drugs

RuNet Echo  24 August 2012

On August 17, Sam Klebanov announced that Russia's Ministry of Culture has banned the release of a Serbian film called "Clip." Klebanov's company owns the Russian distribution rights to the movie, which was honored with a Hivos Tiger Award at the forty-first International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands earlier this year.

Russia: Drug Drugu, Wish Fulfillment via Social Networks

RuNet Echo  23 August 2012

Drug Drugu ("To One Another") is a service that works with the wishes of users. Community members can not only request some kind of help, but also offer their own. The resource's operating principle is very simple: a user leaves a message in the appropriate category, assigns it a category, location, and image, and waits for another community member to response.