Stories about Youth from May, 2012
Macedonia: Graffiti Art in “Times of Revived Antiquity”
A short documentary on the Macedonian graffiti scene within the context of the state-sponsored art/construction boom, made by two female scientists and bloggers, has been shown at the renowned archeological conference Buffalo TAG 2012. Filip Stojanovski reports.
Video: Capacity Building in Rising Voices Media Training
In the border between Burma and Thailand, the Rising Voices grantee project Karen Border News has launched their audio podcast workshop. In this short film, the students of the radio journalism course speak about their experience.
Trinidad & Tobago: Laws for LGBT Too
Globewriter applauds the contribution of Senator Corinne Baptiste-McKnight “in response to a Clause in the Children Bill that criminalized same sex intimacy among youth”, saying: “Give that woman an award!”
Russia: The RuNet's Enduring Tomatoes & Tusovki
To a casual observer, the RuNet and the Russian protest movement seem current and contemporary. It is easy to forget, however, that the core of the RuNet and the protests it's inspired has now existed for almost a decade. Burning questions asked seven years ago about the true nature of major figures are still prominent today, such as questions about a certain Andrei Morozov.
Georgia: No Sex and the City
No Sex and the City — Georgian Liberal (an oxymoron) blog comments on the physical confrontation between priests accompanying religious parents and LGBT activists marching in Tbilisi, Georgia. The blog details events as they happened, including the alleged inaction of the Georgian police when they were asked to intervene to...
Georgia: LGBT Activists Attacked by Orthodox Religious Group
Marching to mark the 17 May International Day Against Homophobia, LGBT activists were blocked and assaulted by a group of Orthodox Christians in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. Mirian Jugheli reports.
Argentina: Transforming a Neighborhood Through a Cultural Shed
The Piedrabuenarte Cultural Shed in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina is transforming the neighborhood through culture, arts and citizen media. Formerly a warehouse for discarded scenery and sets for the Colon Theater, the space was transformed by artists in the community into a center for arts. Through their YouTube channel they are telling the world about it.
Indonesia: Lady Gaga's Concert Permit Denied
After being pressured by conservative politicians and hardline groups, which branded Lady Gaga as a devil worshiper, the Indonesian police announced that it won't issue a permit to the highly anticipated Lady Gaga concert in Jakarta, leaving over 50,000 fans disappointed.
Kyrgyzstan: Can a Blogger be the Fourth Branch of Government?
Ilya Karimdjanov is a pest. Armed with a camera, a question and the most popular blog on Kyrgyzstan's most popular blogging platform, Kloop.kg, he is a one-man citizen media machine, the nemesis of rule-breaking cops, corrupt university teachers and the Kyrgyz monetary system. Well, someone has to keep them all...
Costa Rica: The Circus that Saves Children's Lives
To the south of Costa Rica lies the town of Perez Zeledon, home to the Fantazztico Circus that is giving children and youth in the region a chance to stay out of drugs and trouble while opening doors to international travel.
Kenya: To Pay or Not to #PayInterns?
Kenyan tweep @RobertAlai started a lively debate on Twitter on 14 May, 2012 about the need for companies to pay interns. He argued that using interns without pay is a form of exploitation. Tweeps have been using the hashtag #PayInterns to question the practice forcing some companies to clear their names on Twitter.
Kenya: #PayInterns Trending
#PayInterns is trending in Kenya. @mainneli writes: “Interns should be paid. they do the same work and same stuff like anyone else in the office,stop exploitation #Payinterns”
Algeria: Low Turnout in Legislative Elections
On May 10, Algeria's first legislative elections since the start of the Arab uprisings were held. Many people expressed their disillusionment with the current political system by not voting.
Turkey: Outrage at Sentencing of Scarf Case Student
On May 11 Cihan Kirmizigul, an engineering student at Galatasaray University in Istanbul, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in jail, accused of firebombing a building - but many believe his only "crime" was wearing a Kurdish scarf in the vicinity of the attack.
Armenia: NGOs Condemn Arson Attack on Gay-Friendly Bar
Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts the text of a statement by a group of NGOs including the Helsinki Citizens Assembly in Vanadzor, Women's Resource Center, and Pink Armenia, among others, condemning the 8 May arson attack on D.I.Y., a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan. The blog also reports that two members of...
Trinidad & Tobago: SEA “Ordeal”
Today, children across Trinidad and Tobago sat the SEA Entrance Examination for admission to secondary school. Coffeewallah calls it an “ordeal so intense, that it can be likened to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games novel”, explaining: “While these children do not have to kill anyone to survive, their self esteem, peace...
Venezuela: Video ‘Caracas, City of Farewells’ Sparks Discussion on Emigration
It only took a matter of days before the Venezuelan blogosphere heaped an avalanche of criticism and mockery on the video documentary "'Caracas, ciudad de despedidas" ("Caracas, City of Farewells"). The video compiles 17 minutes of interviews focused on emigration in Venezuela and the reasons which have pushed many to join the growing Venezuelan diaspora.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Stunned by Suicides
And Still I Rise is saddened by “news of three suicides by hanging have stunned the nation.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Three Score and Ten
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…
Jamaica: Better to Give
“The Bobo Shanti youth are well spoken and have a serene gentleness about them…[they] are excellent ambassadors of Rastafari”: Jamaian litblogger Geoffrey Philp finds himself “drawn to how they greet each other and me with the words: ‘Blessed Love.'”
Armenia: Bar Targeted By Suspected Nationalists In Arson Attack
At around 5.30am on 8 May, a bar in Yerevan found itself the target of an arson attack. Popular among alternative types and widely known for its gay-friendly policy, it is believed that nationalists were responsible for the attack on D.I.Y.
