· December, 2008

Stories about Digital Activism from December, 2008

Iran Review 2008

According to the Berkman Center for Internet and Society there are around 60,000 active Iranian blogs. In 2008 they have been creative, dynamic and active in their diverse fields of interest. Here are a few of them.

28 December 2008

The Global Twittersphere Discusses Gaza

Twitter is the new blogging, or so the story goes. Never has that been more apparent than in times of crisis: During the Mumbai attacks, Twitter users provided up-to-the-minute coverage, and today, as Israeli airstrikes continue to hit Gaza, the Twittersphere is deep in discussion.

28 December 2008

Cameroon: Blogging to save 4 year-old from orbital tumor

In November 2008 Cameroon's national TV featured the story of a four year-old boy called Bright Asangwei Fuh suffering from a rare orbital tumor that could not be properly handled in the country. Since then a group of well wishers have created a blog to fundraise for the little boy's medical evacuation to the USA.

28 December 2008

Syria: Outrage at the “Massacre in Gaza”

The Arab world is somber today. The feeling of shock and disgust at the events of yesterday can be felt at every blog. As the Israeli Defense Forces bombed and wrecked havoc in besieged Gaza the Syrian blogosphere had a sense of disbelief at what is happening and the international reaction to it, as Yazan Badran explains.

28 December 2008

Palestine: “The Bloodiest Day Since 1967″

It started as a "normal" day in Gaza. By the end of the day, however, it became clear that December 27 would be known as the bloodiest day of the Palestine-Israel conflict since 1967. Although the target of the Israeli airstrikes was Hamas, as the day went on it became clear that there were also a number of civilian casualties among the 225 or so total.

28 December 2008

Turkey: Apology Shakes Apologia over Armenian Genocide

Challenging 90 years of institutionalized denial of the massacre and deportation of the Ottoman Empire's indigenous Armenian community during WWI, tens of thousands of Turkish intellectuals, academics, writers, journalists and dissidents have apologized online for the "Great Catastrophe."

28 December 2008

2008: A turbulent year for South Asia

Looking back on the events that rocked South Asia in the year 2008 we see that terrorism took the center stage in many places in this region. This was also...

27 December 2008

Palestine: Israeli Airstrikes Spur Actions from Bloggers

Following the end of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, violence and tensions have escalated between Israel and Gaza. Today, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza in what the AFP calls “one of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Middle East conflict.” So far, the death toll in Gaza is at 210 and rising. The Palestinian blogosphere reports.

27 December 2008

Ukraine: “A Democratic Question”

Ukrainiana writes about president Yushchenko's answer to the question that got over 85,000 online votes: “A straight question needs a straight answer. Instead, we got a rambling lecture, replete with...

27 December 2008

Iran: Islamist bloggers support Gaza

Several Islamist bloggers have launched a campaign against the Gaza Strip blockade and to ask worldwide Muslims to help Palestinians. The bloggers have used different tools such as Google bombs and banners to spread the word.

26 December 2008

Egyptian and Tunisian Bloggers against Censorship

In December 2006 frustrated Tunisian bloggers launched the "Action Blank Post" initiative in defense of freedom of speech. Supporting bloggers from all over the world posted a blank on their blogs on the 25th of December, and now bloggers have united again in this anti-censorship tradition, as Marwa Rakha shows.

26 December 2008

Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008

For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.

26 December 2008

Taiwan: Charter 08 and Taiwan

David on Formosa commented on Charter 08 along with quotes from Taiwan News and Financial Times. At the end he said: “In realising the dream of a free China lessons...

25 December 2008

Cuba: Be Part of the Solution

Generation Y‘s Yoani Sanchez has the solution to Cuba's problems: “Let everyone speak, no matter whether in complaint or in support of a proposal designed to address the problems…only freedom...

24 December 2008