Stories about Digital Activism from September, 2008
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Speak Out Against Dutch Court's Decision
Kirk Johnson of Americans For Bosnia notes that “a Dutch civil court sided with the Dutch state and dismissed the case against the Netherlands for their failure to prevent Srebrenica genocide in 1995″ and is urging readers “to contact the Dutch embassy in your country to express your dismay at...
Trinidad & Tobago: Film Festival
“We need a film festival like America needs to not vote for McCain,” says Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer, but warns: “It shouldn’t just be about film as business. What about art for art’s sake? Money can’t be the only thing that motivates our capacity to create.”
Jamaica: More Corrupt?
As the 2008 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) rankings are released, My View of JamDown from Up So asks, “Which party deserves the bulk of blame for the increased perception of Jamaican corruption?”
Cuba: Access Denied
“Won’t the Daddy-State learn how irritating children become when they rarely leave the house?” Havana-based blogger Yoani Sanchez says that she has once again been denied travel privileges.
Barbados: Food Security
“Government needs to put together a strategic plan to respond to short, medium and long-term demands of the agricultural industry”: Barbados Underground is concerned about food security.
Iran: Google Earth and former jailed blogger
Mojtaba Saminejad, an Iranian blogger, who had been in jail for more than 20 months for his writings, uses Google Earth to show us his prison in Iran.
Bulgaria: A New Blog
Petya of Bighead announces a new blog project: How to Marry a Bulgarian.
Kuwait: YouTube Ban Lifted
News about YouTube being blocked in Kuwait hit the headlines yesterday, with bloggers frustrated over what they described as yet another intrusion on freedom of speech in their country. The ban has since been lifted. Here's a cross-section of reactions from Kuwait.
Trinidad & Tobago: Reaching for the Sky?
“In Trinidad and Tobago, we have a sadly comical way of only seeing the outer trappings of first world grandeur and not the basic infrastructure and social foundation behind it”: Alien in the Caribbean maintains that skyscrapers alone are not a mark of true development.
Cuba: The Power of Books
Both Uncommon Sense and Generation Y blog about three Cuban political prisoners who have started hunger strikes after they were prevented from receiving books and magazines: “They suspect that when Adolfo, Pedro and Antonio are engrossed in an essay or a story the bars disappear, the jail fades away, and...
Bermuda: Promoting Politics
Blogging from Bermuda, Vexed Bermoothes is not on board with the idea of political advocacy on the public dime.
Ukraine: MTV and Domestic Violence
Natalia Antonova links to her piece on GlobalComment about “MTV Ukraine and the normalization of domestic violence.” LJ user maryxmas has translated Antonova's text into Ukrainian; a Russian translation is posted in the feministki LJ community.
Macedonia: Fighting Corruption with Online Video
Razvigor ;-) links to two bloggers, Komunikacii [MKD] and Panta Rei [MKD], who published several video clips used by citizens to document abuse of power in one of the municipalities of Skopje.
Bahamas: The Writer
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel examines the role of the writer in society.
Jamaica: Slaves
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp has “had enough of these latter day heroes whose bravery exists only in their febrile imaginations. They denigrate the memory of our ancestors who sucked salt, bore the whip and the yoke of slavery, and invented stories in the dark so that one day their children could...
Iran:Anti discrimination petition
Visa for Ordinary Iranians blog invites Iranians to sign an anti discrimination petition against Canada's embassy in Tehran. This blog says “only a minority of several hundred Iranian artists and intellectuals invited to other Toronto events this summer were granted visas.”
Peru: Adopting a Congressman
An initiative created by a television host and newspaper columnist [es] was well-received by Peruvian bloggers and now many, such as El Paki [es] and El Morsa [es] are adopting a Congressman as a way of monitoring how they are spending their taxes.
Blogger of the Week: Leonard Chien
Today's Blogger of the Week series introduces us to Leonard Chien, English-Chinese translator and interpreter from Taiwan, and a Lingua powerhouse for Global Voices. When asked what he would chose for a superpower he said “May I increase my translation rates?” So what more can we learn about Leonard than his love for translating? Read more to find out.
Lebanon: Homosexuality in Lebanon
Although Lebanon stands out as a more tolerant space for homosexuality in the Middle East, the real life for this section of the community is not paved with roses. A quick round up of blogs and spaces promoting this issue in Lebanon gives the reader a brief peek into how this community lives.
Saudi Arabia: Why Should Arabs Have Access to the Internet?
For days, cyberactivists have been busy discussing the case of Moroccan blogger Mohammed Erraji, who was arrested, put on trial, sentenced - and then freed, and then put on trial again and finally acquitted. Who is Mohammed Erraji? Why did he cross 'red lines' knowing well that in many countries in the Middle East criticising members of the vast Ruling families is very likely to result in repercussions and punishment? Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan, who recently found himself behind bars for his writings in Saudi Arabia, visits Erraji's blog looking for answers.
Macedonia: Computer games have positive effect
Panta Rei writes [MKD] about a survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which shows that the gaming experience can have positive social, political and ethical effect. The post offers a counterargument to those who favor discrimination against gamers in the Macedonian media.
