· May, 2012

Stories about Migration & Immigration from May, 2012

Cuba: Bloggers Discuss Mariela Castro's US Visit

  31 May 2012

On the heels of United States President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage, Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro and Director of the country's Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (National Center for Sex Education), has been addressing gay rights activists during her tour of the United States. Her trip has been stirring up some controversy in the Cuban blogosphere.

China: Netizens Want Confucius to Return Home

  29 May 2012

A new visa policy was announced on May 17, 2012 by the U.S State Department which put the Confucius Institute under the spotlight in the Chinese blogosphere. Chinese netizens take the opportunity to ask Confucius to return home and teach the poor Chinese kids instead.

Palestine: Remembering the Nakba

May 15 is Nakba Day, when Palestinians commemorate the displacement and dispossession that took place at the time of Israel's establishment in 1948. In this post we look at how the day was marked by Palestinians on blogs and Twitter this year.

Cuba: The State of Human Rights

  26 May 2012

The recent request for information by the United Nations‘ Committee Against Torture with regard to alleged abuses in Cuba has got bloggers talking about the human rights situation on the island.

China: Campaign to Clean ‘Foreign Trash’ Out of Beijing

  23 May 2012

A campaign to rid Beijing of illegal foreign residents has created controversy in China, with Chinese people expressing widely differing viewpoints on social media. A famous television host has labelled a reporter for Al-Jazeera as 'foreign trash' and invited police to run background checks on the blogger who has criticised his xenophobic remarks.

Guadeloupe: “Political Manipulation”

  21 May 2012

In a post entitled “On Kalkil Politik” [Cr], Guadeloupean blogger Gwakafwika explains his complete distrust in the recent appointment of 1 Guianese and 2 Guadeloupean-born Ministers in the new socialist French government. He calls it a political manipulation.

Mayotte: Capsizing Boat Kills at Least 5 Economic Refugees

  21 May 2012

Malango Actualité provides the social context [fr] related to the sinking of a boat  that killed at least 5, including 3 children and an infant. The fishing boat was carrying 43 people from Comoros to the French territory of Mayotte. It is the third disaster  of such kind in 2012 for Comoran...

Cape Verde: Encouraging Storytelling and Creative Writing

  18 May 2012

Set over the course of seven weeks, a creative writing competition promoted by the young Cape Verdean journalist Odair Varela on his blog, has led a dozen word lovers to get behind their keyboards and let their imaginations flow. The winners have already been announced and this article provides an overview of the stories told.

China, Singapore: Reaction on Ferrari Crash

  17 May 2012

Recently a rich Mainland Chinese man killed three persons (including himself) in a Ferrari car crash in Singapore because of drunk driving. The incident has resulted in anti mainland Chinese sentiment in Singapore, Peter Barefoot from ChinaSMACK translated netizens’ reaction from China.

Spain: “Neighbor, Wake Up, Evictions at Your Doorstep!”

  14 May 2012

As part of the profound socioeconomic crisis, home foreclosures and evictions are rampant in Spain. Author Elena Arrontes covered the eviction of a Bangladeshi family from its home in the neighborhood of Lavapiés, Madrid. Neighbors and other members of the community immediately acted in solidarity with the family.

Singapore: Population, Migration, and Women

  13 May 2012

Syahidah Ismail provides an overview of various issues faced by Singapore women in the past half century. The author discussed some of the controversial population and migration policies adopted by the government in the past decades.

Greece: Police Violence Against Immigrants on the Rise

  12 May 2012

Greek social media has been in uproar over a video posted on Facebook and Twitter, showing police officers overtly abusing a detained immigrant in downtown Athens. Racist and police violence in Greece has been on a worrying rise in recent years, while the promised administrative police reform is still pending.

Cuba: Remembering the Dissidents

  11 May 2012

This week, members of the Cuban diaspora have been blogging about two main things: the one-year anniversary of the death of dissident Juan Wilfredo Soto, and the re-arrest of human rights activist Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia.

Europe: Economic Crisis Fuels Rise in Anti-Immigration Politics

The French presidential election may be over, but the fact that outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy chose immigration as the core theme of his campaign is still the subject of much debate on the Web. Many netizens have wondered whether his choice to flirt with the far-right wing of his party helped temper his defeat or whether, on the contrary, it was one of the reasons his electorate deserted him.

Trinidad & Tobago: Three Score and Ten

  9 May 2012

Two Trinidadian bloggers - one living on island and the other a member of the diaspora - have come to the difficult realisation that their parents are growing old. In this post, they discuss the issue of ageism while sharing their mixed emotions and fears…

Video: Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards Voting Open

  9 May 2012

Young underprivileged youth learning multi-media tools are showcasing their work through The Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards. Entries include documentaries, music videos, poetry, audio, graphic design, narrative, animation and photography.