Stories about Digital Activism from August, 2010
Cuba: Youth in Prison
Iván's File Cabinet blogs about the majority of “common (non-political) prisoners in Cuba [being] black or mestizo”, saying: “The environment in which these youths grow up is fertile ground for delinquency. The worst part [is] that the Cuban State doesn’t have a solution for the problem of a society that...
Barbados: How Many More?
“Fortunately no one died in Tuesday’s bus crash in Christ Church but 22 people were injured”: Barbados Free Press thinks it's high time the country introduced breathalyzer laws.
Armenia: Homophobic radio station rewarded?
Having already warned against increasing levels of homophobia in society, including that recently shown by a local radio station in a project ostensibly meant to promote European integration and values, Unzipped: Gay Armenia is shocked to discover that international bodies continue to work with those it feels should be blacklisted...
Morocco: Fasting Versus Individual Liberties
For most Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan is a time of peace, of reflection, of family and faith. But for those who have given up on religion, Ramadan can be a difficult time, especially when you live in Morocco, where fasting is obligatory.
Nicaragua: Blog Informs About LGBT Community
Grupo de Diversidad Sexual de Carazo (Sexual Diversity Group from Carazo) keeps a blog [es] called Espacio Comunicación Alternativa (Space for Alternative Communication), where they aim to, “Create alternative and accessible processes to inform, communicate and teach LGBT youth, to achieve empowerment, recognition and respect for different sexual orientations and...
Cuba: Same Old?
As U.S. President Obama prepares to reconsider the travel ban on Cuba, Uncommon Sense says: “Before he does so, he might want to consider the assessment of the three prisoners who were released this week.”
Cuba: About the Law
Iván's File Cabinet tells the story of the Teófilo family, whose patriarch, in light of eviction threats from the authorities, is convinced that “his biggest crime was to try to have a prosperous life”; Laritza's Laws, meanwhile, reports on an unprecedented legal matter involving the incumbent Minister of Justice.
Jordan: Reema, We Refuse to Let You Die in Vain
A 35-year old mother of three was shot by her husband during her sleep in Jordan. The reason for this murder? Her husband believes that his wife was a "victim of sorcery" and that she would kill him first. A heartfelt obituary has been written online by her nephew, a blogger, and appeals are being sent so that her death may not be in vain.
India: Monitoring traffic violations on Facebook
A new initiative by the Delhi Traffic Police is highlighting questions of citizen engagement and government use of social media in India.
Russia: “67” – New Flashmob in the Defense of Khimki Forest
LJ user May_Antiwar posts pictures of people with number “67” written on their faces. The number, May_Antiwar explains, represents the share of Khimki, a city in Moscow region, citizens who voted in the recent poll against the new speedway that will divide the Khimki forest park.
Haiti: Education Challenges
“Following the Jan. 12 earthquake, 1,263…schools in western Haiti were destroyed; 376,000 students were out of school and an unknown number of teachers and students were dead or wounded”: HAITI, Land of Freedom takes a look at the country's education struggle.
Malawi: Missing out on online technology for transparency
While more and more Malawians are flocking online to use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, the country has yet to make progress in using these tools for transparency and accountability.
Lebanon: Making Money out of Blogs
Dreaming of making money from your blog? Lebanese bloggers discuss online digital marketing here.
Macedonia: Political Parties Obsess Over Facebook ‘Likes,’ Myth-Making
Macedonian bloggers comment on the attempts of political parties to show off their ratings via social networks, while the communication they offer remains devoid of substance.
Serbia: Banking Group Turns Well-Intentioned Suggestion Into PR Disaster
The lack of understanding that major corporations still have for what's being said online may not come as a shock. Intesa SanPaolo, Italy's largest banking group, however, has recently demonstrated plain poor business sense and a complete disregard for basic PR in a breaking story on the Serbian market.
Ecuador: Twitter Users Love Their Country
Ecuadorian Twitter users decided to commemorate their country's independence day by promoting the use of the #teamoecuador (I Love You Ecuador) hashtag on August 10.
Ukraine: Businessman Seeks Protection Via YouTube, Not Police
A Donetsk businessman posts hidden camera footage of threats and harassment by a competitor, as well as an appeal for help to the Ukrainian president, on YouTube; the video (RUS) has generated over 56,000 views so far. (A detailed Kyiv Post story by Peter Byrne is here (ENG); Vadim Isakov's...
Cuba: Marching in Memory
Cuban bloggers discuss the harassment of Reina Luisa Tamayo, as she makes attempts to organise commemoration marches to the grave of her son, political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo.
China: I am Liu Xianbin
Liu Xianbin is 42 years old and has spent almost one third of his life time in jail. He has been under arrest again since June and activists are campaigning for him under the slogan: "I am Lui Xianbin".
Egypt: Youth using social media to close the gap
Thirty young Egyptians joined hands to produce 10 social advertisements, aimed at social reform. Marwa Rakha takes a closer look at the “Closing The Gap” project, and shares some of the videos produced in this post.
Jordan: Leap in Twitter Users
On Arab Crunch, Gaith Saqer writes about the leap in Twitter users around the world.”The Middle-East Africa jumped 142 per cent to 5 million visitors” in the period from June 2009 to June 2010.
