Stories about Ethnicity & Race from May, 2013
Disaster Highlights Roma's Struggle for Human Rights in France
A violent fire destroyed an abandoned factory in the eastern French city of Lyon squatted by families from the Roma community, killing two women and 12-year-old child. In the aftermath, the survivors relocated into a school open only in the evenings, leaving them outside in the rain during the day. The tragedy has put the spotlight once again on France's controversial policy toward the Roma.
New Blog Celebrates Sri Lanka’s Diversity
Mixed Rice is a new blog, which aims to celebrate Sri Lanka's diversity and provide a platform for thoughtful discussions about the forces that threaten unity.
VIDEO: Brazil's Police Intimidate Indigenous
Video [Audio and subtitles in Portuguese] recorded by the native Paygomuyatpu Mundurukku shows soldiers of the National Force verbally intimidating his tribe on the area of Belo Monte dam.
VIDEO: How Two Men Worlds Apart Fought Injustice and Won
Mkhuseli "Khusta" Jack and Oscar Olivera led two different non violent civil resistance movements, one in South Africa in 1985, the other in Bolivia in 2000. A video produced in the School of Authentic Journalism tells their stories.
From Guinea to Italy to France and Back: An Interview with Blogger Abdoulaye Bah
Global Voices author and translator Abdoulaye Bah, originally from Guinea, is a retired Italian citizen who has worked for the United Nations. He now splits his time between Rome and Nice. We spoke with Bah about his life, from his experience hiding in a bathroom to enter Italy without the proper papers, to his marriage in the Vatican, from his blog to his multi-belief family.
Brazil's Indigenous Fight Back Against State Development
As Brazil's economy steamrolls forward on the momentum of mega-construction projects, many of the country's indigenous have found their homelands snatched away for the sake of development. The construction of the Belo Monte Dam in Pará and the Olympic Museum in Rio de Janeiro have been marked by clashes between police and activists.
69th Anniversary of Crimean Tatar Deportations: Memory and Politics in Crimea
On May 18, some 30,000 people gathered at a rally in Crimea's capital Simferopol to honor the memory of the victims of the 1944 Crimean Tatar deportations and to demand the immediate resignation of Anatoly Mogilev, the chairman of Crimea's Council of Ministers.
Turkey: Syrian Refugees Targeted after Reyhanlı Blasts
On May 11th, Reyhanlı [en] small Turkish town on Turkey-Syria border, was under terrorist attacks. This was the biggest terrorist attack [en] in country's 90 year-old republican history. Netizens react to the blast, a government imposed media ban on the tragedy and the targeting of Syrian refugees which followed.
Conference for Women Writers of African Ancestry
Yari Yari Ntoaso is an international conference on literature by women of African ancestry. You can follow in on Twitter using #YariYari hashtag or on Kinna Reads blog.
Ukrainian Blogger's Bobs 2013 Award Revoked
Ukrainian blogger Olena Bilozerska's User Winner prize in the Bobs 2013 Best Blog Ukrainian nomination has been revoked, writes [ru] Mustafa Nayyem, the Ukrainian member of the Bobs 2013 jury, on his Facebook page, linking [ru] to the official statement [uk] posted on the Bobs 2013 website. The scandal (more...
Muslim TV Anchor Faces Backlash in India Over ‘Uncivilized’ Veil Comment
A female anchor for a popular Malayalam-language television channel in the southern Indian state of Kerala is facing a firestorm of criticism after she called the Muslim practice of women wearing a veil "uncivilized" and a form of oppression.
Is Italy Ready for an African-born Minister?
“Is Italy ready for an African-born government minister?,” Donata Columbro asks: Two months after the recent elections, Italy has a new government. And Cécile Kyenge, 48 years old, an eye surgeon and Congo-born Italian citizen, is the new Minister for Integration in the cabinet of Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
Is Ukrainian Right-Wing Blogger Eligible for the Bobs 2013 Award?
Ukraine was having a trouble-free debut at this year's The Bobs, Deutsche Welle's international blogger contest, until blogger Olena Bilozerska became the User Winner in the Best Blog Ukrainian nomination. Her victory turned sour and a scandal ensued when the Ukrainian netizens alerted the contest's organizers to her blog's ultra-right content. Oleg Shynkarenko reports.
RuNet Apprehensive over Surkov's Dismissal, End of Political Era
"Before there was trickery, now it has been replaced with criminal charges and prison sentences. Surkov, whatever you may think of him, is, first of all, a political aesthete, who won't break pots with a hammer"
Haiti: The “White Savior Industrial Complex”
kiskeácity links to a letter which “echoes many of the issues Haitians face with the White Savior Industrial Complex…and its army of 3,000 NGOs, 12,000 UN troops, innumerable speakers for Haiti, appropriators of Haiti's ancestral religion, culture and music and other so-called ‘allies’ who silence Haitians for a profit while...
Spanish Blogger Goes After Anti-Catalan Prejudice in Viral Video
A YouTube video featuring an Andalusian Spanish blogger criticizing xenophobic attitudes in Spain toward the region of Catalonia has gone viral.
Lebanon's Migrant Workers Mark May Day
KAFA (Enough Racism and Violence) posted [Ar] that the migrant domestic workers in Beirut celebrated Labor's Day by holding a demonstration in which they demanded an end to the Kafala System [Sponsorship System]. The demonstration culminated with a gathering in a public park where the workers shared different aspects from their...
In Venezuela, Still No Justice in Indigenous Leader's Murder
Two months after the assassination of Yukpa indigenous leader Sabino Romero in Venezuela, activists and community members question why no one has been charged for the murder.
Allegations of Election Fraud as Malaysia's Ruling Party Wins Again
Malaysians from all walks of life are currently in a state of outrage following the outcome of the nation's 13th General Election, which has been marred with what appears to be widespread and massive electoral fraud and gerrymandering.
From Russia with No Love…for Central Asia
Migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus are the usual victims of racist sentiment in Russia. Aware of deepening anti-migrant feelings, many of Moscow's politicians promote right-wing policies. But there is one politician that always goes a step further than the rest.
Singapore’s May Day Protest Against Population Policy
An estimated crowd of 5,000 gathered in Singapore’s Hong Lim Park on May 1, 2013 to protest the government’s White Paper on population. The May Day protest was the second time that a big crowd gathered in the park to speak out against the population program.
