Stories about Photos from August, 2012
Peru's Feminist Activist-Artist: María María Acha-Kutscher
Peruvian feminist, activist and visual artist María María Acha-Kutscher is using the Internet to share her work. From Mexico's Frida Kahlo to Spain's "indignadas" (outraged) and Russia's Pussy Riot, Acha-Kutscher's drawings reflect the life and struggles of female artists and activists from all over the world.
India: Social Media Blamed for Fueling Assam Unrest
'A temporary ban was put on bulk SMS and MMS. Local police swung into action and began arresting people forwarding ‘hate' SMS examples. Social media sites were warned to monitor and remove inflammatory content. About 310 webpages were blocked.'
Vibrant Maldives Eid Celebrations – Despite the Political Wrangling
When the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of the Maldives announced that the 2012 morning Eid prayers in the capital Malé were to be celebrated in an open space, it created much controversy and debate. The news was met with skepticism from people who saw it as a political publicity stunt to show numbers, as support for the ruling government.
Mauritania: Landslides Leave Residents Homeless
Landslides resulting from recent heavy rain left hundreds of families homeless in different parts of Mauritania at the end of July. After destroying their homes, the landslides left hundreds of families in Kaedi (Southern Mauritania), Makta'a Lahjar and Aleg (Central Mauritania), and Nema (Eastern Mauritania), without roofs over their heads. Ahmed Jeddo reports on what happened and some of the reactions.
Puerto Rico: Social Media's ‘No’ Campaign Wins Big in Referendum
"140 characters focused so hard on raising awareness among people that today they broke the machinery put together by money. The NO won!!!" - A netizen reacts to the campaign's success in a referendum to amend the country's constitution.
Guyana: Social Media Plays Role in Linden Solidarity Protests
The protests in Linden have spawned other protests in solidarity, both in Guyana and overseas - and social media, in the form of blogs, online videos and Facebook - have been helping to spread the message.
Hong Kong: Citizens Lead Clean-Up of Typhoon Plastic Pellet Spillage
More than 150 tons of plastic pellets manufactured by SINOPEC were spilled into the sea when Typhoon Vicente hit Hong Kong this July. However, the government neither announced the incident to the public nor took action to clean-up the pollution until citizens found the plastic pellets on local beaches.
Graffiti in Times of Crisis
In the current economic crisis, graffiti in several cities is rife with social messages. Here is a sample of some urban artwork.
Guinea-Bissau: “Our Culture” in Photos
The Facebook profile of Nôkultura Associação (“Our Culture” Association), launched by Teodoro Gomes in late July, 2012, features a rich – though still small – set of photos on culture...
Brazil: Bicycle Brings Books to the Homeless
If good ideas transcend boundaries, this one does it by bicycle. That is, by Bicicloteca, a bicycle that carries a small library through the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
United States: Significance of Paul Ryan for the Hispanic Population
From the day that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney chose Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, there has been extensive media coverage in favor and against the decision. Little has been said, however, with respect to the effect that it will have on the Hispanic population in the United States.
East Timor: Hundreds of Resistance-Related Images on Facebook
“East Timorese media organisation Tempo Semanal published almost 900 resistance-related images on its Facebook fan page. The photographs appear to range in time from 1975 to the early post-1999 referendum...
Spain: “Health Disobedience” in the Face of Massive Cuts
Independent groups of public health workers and participants have created a digital platform to protest against the recent health reform. The movement is named "I say yes to universal health" and its main proposal is civil disobedience and to object the new Law 16/2012 imposed by the government in the context of severe austerity measures and social protests.
Puerto Rico: What's at Stake in the August 19 Referendum
Puerto Ricans have voted on a referendum to amend the Constitution. The are two proposed amendments: one to limit the right to bail and one that to reduce the number of legislators. The implications of limiting the right to bail and the campaign organized to oppose the referendum was marked by a heightened activity on social network sites.
Saudi Arabia: The Best Way to Tell your Wife You Married Another Woman
On Twitter, Adel Abdel Ghafar shares a photograph of a “Cover of a #Saudi book titled ‘ the best way to tell your wife that you married another woman.'”
India: Pictures of Varalakshmi Vratham Festival
Anuradha Shankar posts a photo essay on the Varalakshmi Vratham (a festival to propitiate the goddess Lakshmi), which is popular in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamilnadu.
Italy: Uncertain Future for Polluting Ilva Steel Plant – and its 12,000 Employees
Europe's biggest steel plant in Taranto, Italy, has been put under judicial seizure: the last chapter of a complex struggle involving high environmental risks and occupational issues. Along with street protests, a broader debate has ensued online.
Puerto Rico: An “Activated” Space for School Athletics
Photojournalist José Jiménez talks about his project, Activao, an online space dedicated exclusively to covering school athletics in Puerto Rico. Going beyond being a specialized medium for sports, the project is, above all, a space with a social mission for young people.
France: Stories of Everyday Sexism
After being harassed and insulted by men in the streets of Brussels, Belgian student Sofie Peeters made a hidden-camera film to denounce the male chauvinism experienced every day by unaccompanied women in the streets. Under the hashtag #harcelementderue (street harassment), French women are testifying to the verbal abuse and sexual harassment that they are subjected to in the streets.
Egypt: Front Page of Al Doustor's Consfiscated Issue
Bassem Sabry, from Egypt, tweets a photograph of the “controversial front page of first confiscated issue of Al-Dostour [newspaper], calling for a military-backed Turkey-like State.”
Wales Celebrates its National Eisteddfod Festival, With a Digital Twist
Last week an event took places in Wales, which for many eclipsed even the Olympics. The National Eisteddfod of Wales is one of the only festivals in which the Welsh language is the primary language of every aspect of activity.
