Stories about Digital Activism from August, 2013
Iran: Bye, Bye President Ahmadinejad
Iranians using the hashtag #AhmadiByeBye are saying good riddance to a divisive and dysfunctional presidency.
Tchip: The “Shaking My Head” Meme from Africa
Nadéra Bouazza explains what being “tchippée” [fr] means for french speaking black communities. Tchip is the sound one makes when he/she disapproves of the behavior/action of someone else (roughly similar to the “shaking my head” internet slang). The “Tchip” sound is used across most black communities and has become an internet meme:
Japanese Users Break Tweets Per Second Record
Japan's netizens broke the world record for tweets per second on August 2, 2013, flooding Twitter with the magic word “balse” [バルス] from the 1986 anime film Castle In the Sky as the movie was broadcast on television in Japan on August 2, 2013. Users set a new record of 143,199 tweets...
China's State-Run Media Invokes Specter of USSR Collapse
A front page article by Xinhua news agency points the finger at the former Soviet Union as an example of the consequences of democratic reforms.
Abre Latam: Developers and Solutions for the Region
Juan Arellano collects impressions of Abre Latam, an event on Open Data and transparency in Latin American governments that took place in Montevideo, Uruguay.
News Websites Indicted over Land Grab Report
News Websites Rue89 and Basta Mag are indicted [fr] following charges by French investment and industrial holding group Bolloré over a report in which they implicate Bolloré [fr] in land grab activities [fr] in Africa. The report lists the group's activities in Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Politis, a weekly analysis website, reacted...
Senegalese Literacy Contest Winner Turns Down French Visa in Protest
Bousso Dramé describes the ill treatment she received when obtaining a French visa in a widely circulated open letter.
China's ‘Foreign Forces’ Propaganda, Redefined
China's political term "foreign forces" has been reimagined by Chinese netizens to criticize domestic corruption rather than foreign intervention.
Brazilians Ask ‘Where is Amarildo?’, Favela Resident Missing After Arrest
The last time Amarildo was seen, military police were taking him from the Favela da Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro, known as the largest slum in the world.
