Stories about Politics from September, 2011
Trinidad & Tobago: Black Power Documentary
“You could put all of the scholarship produced by the University of the West Indies and all the newspaper and TV stories done about the 1970 uprising in Trinidad and Tobago on one side and, when you tossed the single DVD of ’70: Remembering a Revolution into the other pan,...
Cuba: Female Prisoner on Hunger Strike
Pedazos de La Isla uploads a video showing “what happened on Saturday, September 24th, to Sara Marta Fonseca Quevedo and other dissidents who were peacefully protesting”, while Uncommon Sense notes that Fonseca has since begun a hunger strike.
Barbados: Fire Service Hot on Social Media
“I am surprised and impressed by their use of social media”, says gallimaufry.ws of the Barbados Fire Service, adding: “Other government departments in Barbados could learn from their example.”
Zambia: Netizens Start Countdown to 90 Day Change Promise
Zambia’s new President, Michael Sata, has promised to transform the nation in 90 days including putting more money into people’s pockets. Expectant netizens have started the countdown; a group called the '90 Day Agenda' has opened a Facebook page to push for it.
El Salvador: Youth Participation in Elections
Blogger Jjmar from Hunnapuh [es] comments on youth's lack of interest in the elections and in politics in general, a problem which Jjmar argues is reflected in the low number of registered young voters in the 2009 elections and for the upcoming 2012 elections.
Philippines: Creative Protests During Campus Strikes
Last week's nationwide campus strikes in the Philippines against education budget cuts saw the lively and creative integration of online tools to mobilize thousands to fight for the right to education. From mass planking, freeze mob, blackboard campaign, fashion show, to Facebook campaigns, activists used various forms of protests to highlight their cause
East Timor: Tasi Mane Petroleum Infrastructure Project
A local Non-Government Organization, La'o Hamutuk, has set-up a special website page to gather information, monitor project updates, and document the resistance of a community to East Timor’s Tasi Mane Petroleum Infrastructure Project.
Arab World: Nobel Peace Prize for Revolution Netizens?
Twitter is abuzz tonight as the names of Arab netizens are being circulated as possible candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for the roles they have played in the Arab revolutions. The names of Global Voices Online very own Lina Ben Mhenni, Wael Ghonim and Esraa Abdelfattah are being mentioned.
Russia: A New Online Game Might Change Offline Moscow
A graduate of Strelka Institute Andrey Goncharov gave an interview about his final project an online game “Crowdsourced Moscow 2012″. According to the interview the game can contibute to real democracy and allow people to participate in reshaping the offline public space of their city through online.
Russia: Pro-Kremlin Youth Movement Leader Seeks New Internet ‘Activists’
A journalist from “Afisha” magazine had succeded to attend a secret meeting in the underground Moscow bunker dedicated to the training of a new generation of pro-Kremlin Internet activists organized by a leader of “Nashi” youth movement Vasiliy Yakemenko. Yakemenko demanded from pariticipants to initiate citizen Internet-based campaigns and argued that the main goal...
Cuba: More Arrests Post-March
More reports of activists being arrested in the wake of a peaceful protest march that took place this past Saturday.
Jamaica: Golding to Resign?
Jamaica and the World republishes a Wikileaks cable that sullies the image of the government, while Girl With a Purpose reports that “Prime Minister Bruce Golding dropped a bombshell on Jamaicans…announc[ing] his intention to resign as Party Leader of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).”
Colombia: Bogota's Mayoral Campaign
Mike Ceaser comments on Bogota Mayoral candidate Enrique Peñalosa's decision to “campaign with ex-President Alvaro Uribe.” Mike argues that “by campaigning with the conservative Uribe […] Peñalosa is giving up any chance for the vote of young progressives, altho [sic] few supported him as it is.”
Kenya: Bloggers Pay Tribute to Wangari Maathai
African bloggers are paying tribute to Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist who died on Sunday after a battle with cancer.
Spain: Police “Welcome” 15M Protesters in Paris
The "march of the indignant people" that left from various cities in Spain and France to cross Europe, was welcomed by the police in Paris. One hundred people who were heading to the French Parliament were dragged, sprayed with pepper spray and detained. Chris Moya reports.
North Korea: Kim Jong-il Plans to Solve Famine by Breeding Giant Rabbits
Zimbabwe Metro site posted a list of eccentric acts and plans carried out by North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il. It includes Kim's plan to solve famine by breeding giant rabbits and revelations that Kim being one of the world’s largest buyer of Hennessy, German cars and Uzbekistani caviar.
El Salvador: Digital Newspaper Publishes Wikileaks Cables
“Almost 100 US State Department cables from the US Embassy in San Salvador have now been published on the website of El Faro. The collection of cables from WikiLeaks offers a behind-the-scenes look at US diplomacy and assessment of its tiny ally in Central America. Most of the cables come...
Puerto Rico: Dealing with the Murder Rate
Dondequiera says of the country's rising murder rate: “Greed and apathy are Puerto Rico's sins, and the only way out of this nightmare is through our unity as humans.”
Cuba: “Damas” Targeted Again
The Ladies in White were once more targeted this weekend for their “planned march to a church to honor Our Lady of Charity on her feast day” – bloggers have a lot to say here, here, here, here and here.
Bahamas: Crime Fighting Issues
Bloggers discuss the challenges of crime fighting in the Bahamas.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: More Violence Against Women
The escalating violence against women in St. Vincent now has Abeni “officially scared.”