Stories about Digital Activism from February, 2011
Bahrain: Day of Mourning Observed
Friday (Feb 25) was officially announced as a 'Day of Mourning' for all the martyrs who have fallen since Bahrain's Day of Wrath protests, which started on February 14th 2011. Netizens reflect on the day.
Egypt: Is Feb25 the Restart Button for the Egyptian Revolution?
Yesterday marked the first month since the start of the Egyptian revolution. Former president Hosni Mubarak has been toppled yet the revolution is still far from over. Protesters at Tahrir Square, calling for the demands of the revolution to materialise, were last night cordoned and attacked by the military police. Is this the beginning of another wave of rage?
Palestine: Demands for a Unified Nation set for March 15
As the Arab world witnesses one uprising after uprising, seeing dictators fall and others exposed one after another, the Palestinian case looks like the ultimate goal. Palestinian youth intend to take their own fate in their hands and call for a unified Palestine with rallies set to start on March 15.
Haiti: Challenges & Hopes
Kevin Fortuna at Concern Blogs visits Haiti and writes about his experience.
Latin America: Latest Cables Released by Wikileaks
The Latinamericanist sums up some of the latest diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks on Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
Yemen: “Our blood is not cheap” (Videos)
Tens of thousands of protesters across Yemen rallied for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh after Friday prayers. Two protesters were shot dead in Yemen's second-largest city Aden on Friday, February 25, in what appears to be confrontations between anti-Saleh groups and police. At least 34 others have been wounded, mostly by live gunfire.
Jordan: Reactions to Amman's Friday Protests (Photos)
After demonstrations in Amman, Jordan on Friday 18 February, 2011, thousands of Jordanians representing diverse groups and voices took to the streets this Friday 25 February, in a more organized and responsible protest.
Cuba: Marking Zapata's Anniversary
Diaspora blogger El Cafe Cubano posts photos from a march in honour of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, while Uncommon Sense reports that “Cuban independent journalist and activist Guillermo Fariñas…said the government's crackdown this week has only elevated Zapata's status in Cuba”; Havana Times says that the first anniversary of his death...
Kenya: #KenyaFeb28: Online Call to Nationalism
Monday 28, February 2011 seems to be significant for Kenya's netizens. Kenyans have been using Twitter, Facebook and even email to discuss whether they should use the twitter hashtag #KenyaFeb28 to marshal protest over political issues or whether the same platform should be utilized to spur a sense of nationalism.
Bahrain: The TAKBEER Guy Meme
In an unexpected result of Bahrain's ongoing Day of Wrath protests, the social media community came together and created Bahrain's first bonafide internet meme: TAKBEEER Guy.
Philippines: Protest against railway fare hikes
The Riles Network website was set-up by commuters who are opposed to the planned railway fare hikes in the Philippines
Iran: Opposition leader sent a message in You Tube
Mehdi Karroubi, one of leading opposition leaders, sent a message on You Tube just before being placed under house arrest. He said the opposition leaders are faithful to their promises.
Kenya: One Nation, One People, One Anthem
On February 28, 2011 at 1.00 pm, Kenyans will sing all three verses of the National Anthem. The event is organised online using Twitter and Facebook.
Peru: Controversy Over Removal of Anonymity in Electoral Polls
A new policy preventing opinion polls from being conducted anonymously caused a storm in the press and on social networking sites. Finally, faced with a barrage of questions from the public and the press over its conduct, the National Jury of Elections was forced to retract the regulation.
Turks & Caicos: The Courage to Protest
The tcipost wonders if protests in the Bahamas might serve to “wake the people of Turks and Caicos up”.
Cuba: Zapata Vive
“The fact that Zapata’s death came about through starvation is one more piece of the hunger we have endured for over half a century”: Crossing the Barbed Wire explains why Orlando Zapata Tamayo's death “was not in vain”.
Cuba: What do the Cables from Havana Say? (Part III)
In the last part of a series on WikiLeaks and Cuba, author Elaine Díaz analyzes the content of cables regarding the Cuban opposition and the role of bloggers.
South Korea: Amnesty International Condemns Korean Government's Censorship.
Amnesty International has condemned the convictionof eight South Koreans who are members of the Socialist Workers League. All eight men were found guilty under the National Security Law for “propagating or instigating a rebellion against the State’. Amnesty International criticized the law has been used to justify a form of censorship.
Iran: Heavy security deployment in Tehran
Here is a short video showing very heavy security deployment in Tehran on Thursday.
Poland: Prosecuted Blogger Hopes For a Different Verdict
Jakub Górnicki continues to report on the case of Łukasz Kasprowicz, a Polish blogger who was sued for defamation by a local official and is now banned from blogging by the court.
Macedonia: Global Voices Featured on a TV Show
GV author Filip Stojanovski was interviewed [MKD] for the TV show Nie (“We”) on the topic of “Kale, Internet, political parties, Facebook!? Whose fault is it?”, where he spoke about the importance of citizen media and Global Voices. The show also included a segment of Ethan Zuckerman's TED talk.