Stories about Digital Activism from May, 2011
Haiti: A Different View of Cite Soleil
“We want to showcase local talents, and change the image of the youth in Cite Soleil. We want to get people planting again and eating Haitian food”: Throwing Down the Water profiles “a neighborhood committee called ‘La Difference’ [which] formed a movement to clean up their few blocks” and is...
Bahamas, Jamaica: Caribbean Climate Change
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe is “all for going green voluntarily…and in time”, while Labrish Jamaica warns: “There is no debate anymore about climate change. It is here. If sea level were to rise only 1 metre in the Caribbean, the impacts would be catastrophic.”
Jamaica: Garvey's Good Name
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp has begun an online movement to clear Marcus Garvey's name – his aim is “to get 10,000 signatures and to deliver the petition to President Barack Obama.”
Azerbaijan: Interview with released video blogging activist Emin Milli
TekVibes posts a video interview with Emin Milli, one of two video blogging youth activists conditionally released last year in Azerbaijan.
Russia: State Duma Whistleblower Intern's Case
Sublime Oblivion writes about the case of Evgeny Starshov, who was tweeting and blogging about his internship at the Russian State Duma until he got fired for it.
Mexico: ‘Información Cívica’ Summarizes Week in Civil Society
David Sasaki in Información Cívica explains they will “begin publishing weekly summaries of what Open Society Foundation partners in various countries around Latin America are sharing via their websites, blogs, and social media accounts.” Their first summary focuses on their partners in Mexico.
Russia: OBEY Giant Poster Wonders ‘Who Set Up Strauss-Kahn?’
LJ-user groupper posts [ru] pictures of an illegal poster with OBEY Giant and a question in French and Russian: “Who set up Strauss-Kahn?” The poster hanging in front of the French diplomatic mission building in Saint-Petersburg, raises a conspiracy theory question, wherever the #DSK scandal was a deliberate removal of...
France: #frenchrevolution in photos and videos
The Bundlr site presents a compilation [dead link] of photos, videos, links and tweets about the raising of the Place de la Bastille in Paris, to echo the protests in Spain and Greece.
Lebanon: Mapping sexual harassment
An interactive map of incidences of harassment in Lebanon has been launched. Featured testimonies can in no way be considered official, verified or comprehensive; the map shows only personal reports published on Qaweme Harassment -Fighting Harrassment on Lebanon Streets [en, ar] by women who decided to break the wall of...
Egypt: Letter from Military Prison Cell No. 10
During their arrest period in a military prison activist Mosa'ab Elshamy and his cell mates wrote notes and messages, which he later on (after his release) published on tumblr [en and ar]. Ahmad el Azhary says in one of them: “Cell no 10. Guys 10/10. Companionship for a Cause rather...
Philippines: Novelist Mired in Plagiarism Controversy
Alfred "Krip" Yuson, an award-winning Filipino novelist, achieved notoriety for allegedly plagiarizing an article by his subordinate in a mainstream news agency. Here are some reactions from the Philippine blogosphere
Cuba: On Emails and Blogs
Due to limited acces to the Internet in Cuba, blogger Yasmín Portales Machado has decided to publish on her blog En 2310 y 8225 [es] the comments on her posts that have been circulated through email, which is more easily available in Cuba.
Azerbaijan: Twitter as a tool for activism
Global Voices co-founder Ethan Zuckerman comments on the use of Twitter in last week's campaign by Amnesty International to call for the release of prisoner of conscience Eynulla Fatullayev. Although the imprisoned journalist was released, argues Zuckerman, several questions have been raised by the online action and not least in...
Russia: Moscow Pride 2011
This year's Moscow Gay Pride event ended in clashes almost as soon as it began, at least 18 gay rights activists and 14 of their opponents are reported to have been arrested, and a journalist who had blogged about her reasons for attending the rally ended hospitalized with a concussion.
France : The “Civilized” Internet According to President Sarkozy
As a prelude to the G8 summit in Deauville, chaired by France, the e-G8 forum of the Internet was held in Paris on 23 and 24 May 2011. To the dismay of supporters of civil society, the interventions on the forum were limited to government agencies and large companies.
Spain: From Spanish Revolution to World Revolution
Mobilizations in Spain have ignited what has been called a “World Revolution”, with more than 600 demonstrations and camp outs taking place in solidarity with Spanish protesters. Websites, Twitter hashtags, and Facebook accounts are being used to spread and share information, thoughts, and opinions.
Cuba: Repressive Action
Cuban bloggers cite numerous cases of the authorities cracking down on dissidents, calling the arrests “part of a vicious series of repressive moves by the dictatorship to target the opposition.”
Bermuda: Gay Rights
“Bermuda has a long history of discrimination rooted in slavery, the restricted vote and racial segregation. Those who championed resistance to these injustices, those who have benefited from their elimination, should be sensitive to any discrimination set upon any other group”: Respice Finem wants to put gay rights back on...
India: Malayalam Bloggers Campaign For Soumya
Kerala was rife with outrage, when 23 year old woman Soumya was thrown out from a moving passenger train, raped and brutally murdered. With the public losing the trust in mainstream media, blogs with the individual's voices question media's silent role and discuss many unnoticed aspects of the story.
China: Netizens Declare Candidacy In Upcoming Elections
Their chances may not be good, but a small and growing number of Internet celebrities and microbloggers have decided to run in grassroots elections this coming September in constituencies around the country.
Serbia: More Reactions to the Arrest of Ratko Mladic
Richard Byrne of Balkans via Bohemia and Borut Peterlin react to the news of the arrest of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general wanted for war crimes, including the Srebrenica massacre. Sladjana Lazic of A Slice Of Serbian Politics and Viktor Marković (@Belgrade) report [en, sr] on small-scale protests in...
