Stories about Digital Activism from August, 2011
Cuba: “Las Damas” – The Struggle Continues
Attacks allegedly continue against Cuba's Ladies in White.
Zambia: Netizen Launches Vlog Ahead of Elections
As Zambians are getting ready for the country's September 20 tripartite elections, a Zambian political activist has decided to put across his political and socio-economic messages through videos. He shares his videos on YouTube.
Philippines: Uproar over Sorry State of Manila Zoo
The sorry state of Manila Zoo caused a stir among Filipino netizens after photos were posted online resulting in the rise of the keywords “Manila Zoo” as a popular trending topic on Twitter last month. A petition was initiated to stop the plan to get more animals for the zoo
Iran: Ahmadinejad & Asad united in an animation
Here is an animation in You Tube showing Bashar Asad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came together to repress Syrian and Iranian people. Watch more in Wikisham.
China: Large NIMBY Protest Erupts in Dalian
A Sunday morning sit-in protest in downtown Dalian, Liaoning province, against a chemical factory located in the city turned into a large-scale procession through the streets. Police were out in full force, but so too were the microbloggers.
Jamaica: The “Performance of Gender”
“Everyone is involved in this baseless discrimination. Effeminacy is apparently extremely off-putting. The effeminate man, whether he is gay or straight, catches a whole lot of hell”: Under the Saltire Flag suggests that “what is being policed is not sexuality, but gender.”
Cuba: Gay “Wedding”
“When did we Cubans become prudish and old-fashioned? What were our reasons or intentions for not joining the twenty-first century?”: Generation Y blogs about Wendy and Ignacio, a gay couple who will cement their relationship this coming weekend and “[place] our country into the third millennium, into the desired time...
Russia: A Psycho-Neurological Patient's Photo Stories
Pasha Kyshtymov, a lifelong psycho-neurological patient in Siberia, cannot communicate through speech, but had no problems learning to express himself through photography. On his blog, the Russian photographer Oleg Klimov has documented the poignant impromptu experience of teaching Pasha to share his worldview with others.
Cuba: What is a Terrorist Organization?
Osmany Sánchez from La Joven Cuba responds [es] to a post written by fellow blogger Miriam Celaya, which has stirred a tremendous debate in the Cuban blogosphere. In his response, Sánchez assures that some bloggers in Cuba have connections with terrorist organizations from the Cuban exile community.
China: Tweets Didn't Start the Fire
China's main state television station has launched a second offensive against microbloggers and users of other social media, this time on the back of the recent British riots. The attack has left netizens guessing at the true motivation at play.
Russia: Bloggers’ Summer of Civic Actions
Although August is traditionally considered a quiet month in Russia, the country's Internet has been alive with hundreds and thousands of people taking part in a number of social actions. Marina Litvinovich explores this new summer phenomenon.
Portugal: Petition For Galicia to Enter the Lusophone Space
The association MIL – Movimento Internacional Lusófono (International Lusophone Movement) [pt] – has written an open letter [pt] to the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Portas, addressing the “inflection of the Portuguese State's position towards Galicia”. MIL considers the Spanish region of Galicia as an integral part of the...
World: Share Your Life With the World on 11-11-11
What will you be doing on November 11, 2011? Share it with the rest of the world through 11Eleven Project and help achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals!
Poland: NGO Helps Looking for Missing Persons
Polandian writes about ITAKA: Centre for Missing People (en.zaginieni.pl), a Polish NGO that helps tracing missing persons.
Cuba: Bloggers Comment on Attacks vs. Activists
More on the attacks against activists that took place this past weekend: a statement from The Coalition of Cuban-American Women, a video “of victims who got away with minor injuries”, and reports of two other incidents, here and here.
Puerto Rico: Reasons for Riots
B.C. Pires and Gil the Jenius comment on the riots in London, with the latter saying, with regard to Puerto Rico: “It [the cause of rioting] boils down to two basic factors: a population that feels dissatisfied with its government and a government trying to suppress the populace. Oppression can...
Cuba: Interview of Ted Henken
Luis García Méndez interviews [es] US academic Ted Henken about the Cuban blogosphere. The interview has caused an interesting debate [es] within the Cuban blogging community.
Cuba: “Voces” Magazine 9th Edition
The online publication Revista Voces has published its ninth edition [es] [pdf] with articles by Natacha Herrera, Dimas Castellanos, Reinaldo Escobar and Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, among many others.
Cuba: Debate about the Blogosphere
Global Voices author Elaine Díaz responds [es] to a post by fellow Cuban blogger Miriam Celaya [es] about the categories and origins of the Cuban blogosphere.
Haiti: Hurricanes Only Part of the Problem
Throwing Down the Water says that although Hurricane Emily “mostly missed Haiti…the usual rains of this season will not because they are part of the usual cycle of nature. And as it was with the earthquake, it will not be their nature killing people but the lack of appropriate accommodations,...
Cuba: Attacks on Activists
Diaspora bloggers report on attacks against human rights activists in Cuba that allegedly happened this past weekend.
