Stories about Development from April, 2011
Laos: Controversial Xayaburi Dam
Amraapali writes about the planned Xayaburi Dam along the Lower Mekong in Laos. The controversial dam project is opposed by some groups which warned of “reduced fisheries, inundation of riverbank gardens, and loss of nutrients for floodplain agriculture” if the dam becomes operational.
Ghana: Bloggers React to Demeaning and Misleading Article
On April 8, 2011, Ghanaians came across a very demeaning and disgraceful article titled “Inside the criminal world of Ghana's e-mail scam gangs” by Thomas Morton, which got featured on the CNN website. Ghanaian bloggers consider the journalist to be completely uninformed and biased.
Is Empowering Women Key to Eradicating Global Hunger?
As global food prices continue to remain high, with potential increases on the horizon because of soaring oil prices and supply concerns, experts says that there is one often-overlooked solution for fighting hunger: women.
El Salvador: Economic Well-Being Tied to Support for Democracy
Voices from El Salvador's Weblog summarizes a recent AmericasBarometer survey, concluding that “The results of the survey show, for the most part, that economic well-being, whether that of individual families or that of the nation’s government, is one of the strongest factors that affect the public’s support of democracy.”
Gabon: Movement in the Petroleum sector
While the rest of the world searches for alternatives to petrol, it is the basis of almost the entire economy of countries like Gabon. Several months ago the country was rocked by revolts that went widely unreported yet which by the end of January saw the leader of the political opposition declare himself as the new President. The issues are now extending beyond politics and are now impacting Gabon's petroleum sector, which provides 60% of the national revenues.
Gabon: Issues in the Oil industry Sector
On Monday, April 8, oil industry workers returned to work following an announcement made to AFP by Arnauld Engandji, spokes-person for ONEP (the National Organization for Petrol Industry Workers), stating "the demands have been met. We do not want to cause chaos". ONEP, an organisation of between 4000 and 5000 members, went out on strike (fr) to obtain new regulations relating to the employment of foreign workers within the sector, who "they accuse of taking the place of Gabonese workers".
Portugal: Squatting an Empty School in Porto
A group of citizens called ES.COL.A (school) [an acronymn for self-managed collective space] has occupied a Portuguese public school that had been abandoned by the municipality of Porto 5 years ago. Read the manifesto for the creation of a community center on their blog [pt], and find out about the legal...
Cambodia: Durian statue in Kampot
Tales from an Expat reports that the durian statue in Kampot, Cambodia is now complete in time for the Khmer New Year. Durian is a tasty fruit in Southeast Asia.
Brazil: The Wikicity of Porto Alegre
PortoAlegre.cc [pt] is a platform for “understanding, debating, inspiring and transforming [Porto Alegre]” based on the concept of Wikicity. The platform was designed in the Brazilian university Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos) as a way to ensure that everyone's “voices are heard to discuss concerns of the city.”
Laos: Vientiane Vision 2030
Sao Darly links to a youtube video about the urban development masterplan for Vientiane, capital of Laos.
Afghanistan: Violence against Aid Workers
Joel Hafvenstein reflects on the latest and earlier cases of violence against international aid workers in Afghanistan and says that it’s not quite right to talk about a steady increase in such violence.
Guatemala's “Mobile Phone Democracy”
“Guatemala’s evolving mobile sector, representative of the region, shows how this technology can offer unprecedented participation in both local and global civic conversations and actions. It is presenting an opportunity for nation-building (however nascent) and democratization that neither the Guatemalan government nor U.S. and European foreign policy have been able...
East Timor: Satire on expats working in development
Read the satirical blog Stuff Malai Like for some humor on “the wide spectrum of strange malais presently living in East Timor”. Malai is the Tetum language word for foreigners or expatriates.
Russia: Anti-Corruption iPad Application Beats “Angry Birds”
iPad application for Rospil.info, Russian crowdsourcing anti-corruption service created by Alexey Navalny, has taken over [ru] “Angry Birds Rio HD Free” application in the Apple App market. The application has been created voluntarily (and free of charge) by Russian iPad app developers.
Jamaica: Environment Under Siege
“Jamaica’s coasts and vital mangroves have been under assault for decades from shoreline over development”: Labrish blogs about the latest victim.
China: Maps Showing Earthquake Zone and Nuclear Plant
Laputa puts up three maps [zh] showing China's earthquake zone and nuclear plants location.
Bangladesh: Pedaling The Path To Empowerment
Rudmila Rahman writes about the initiative of a group of thirty passionate women from diverse walks to life, who “got on their bicycles and rode through Dhaka to promote bicycles as an alternative means of mobility for women in Bangladesh.”
