· April, 2011

Stories about Video from April, 2011

Singapore: Bloggers Criticize PAP Manifesto

  20 April 2011

Singapore’s ruling coalition, People’s Action Party, released its election manifesto on April 17, 2011, which was immediately criticized by many bloggers for being “too vague.” PAP has been in power for five decades already. The General Elections will take place on May 7.

Colombia: Teen Produced Web Series about Gay Youth

  19 April 2011

Nineteen year old Jhoncito Arango's most recent web project has certainly caught the local media's eye in his native Colombia, where his web series Yonkis has had a very good reception considering that it tackles a topic that is still considered highly sensitive in this Catholic country: homosexuality.

Azerbaijan: The ‘Terror’ of Tiny Town

  18 April 2011

Tamada Tales comments on the detention of a small child and her mother at an opposition protest in Baku on Sunday. Captured on video uploaded to YouTube and shared online, the blog wonders what ‘havoc’ could possible be wreaked upon the Azerbaijani capital by the girl.

Nigeria Votes 2011: Opinions From the Polls

  17 April 2011

Nigerians voted yesterday in the third presidential election since the nation transitioned to civilian rule in 1999. Thus far, the election has widely been declared a success, with only sporadic reports of violence and voting irregularities. News sources reported a large turnout, orderly queues, and voters waiting until polls closed to make sure their votes were counted. Bloggers discuss the experience.

France, Japan: Debating President Sarkozy's Visit to Japan

  16 April 2011

When French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Japan on March 31, 2011, less than three weeks after the earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear emergency, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is reported to have said: "When it rains, a friend who comes is a true friend". Bloggers ask if Nicolas Sarkozy really came to visit out of friendship alone.

Palestine: Kidnapping of Italian Activist in Gaza

Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was kidnapped on Thursday 14 April, 2011, in Gaza by a Salafi-Jihadi group, who said that they would kill him if Sheikh Abu Al Waleed Al Maqdisi, recently arrested by the Hamas government, was not released. It was reported on Friday 15 April by various international media outlets that Vittorio Arrigoni has been found dead.

Qatar: Enjoying a Drop of Rain

There’s nothing like a change in weather to get people talking, and in a desert country, what’s more exciting than rain? Residents of Qatar got a bit of rain. Reactions on Twitter was a mix of shock, awe, confusion, and wishes for more to come.

Fukushima: Public Criticism and a Rising Anger

  12 April 2011

Open protests against Tepco as operator and the government as monitor had been relatively muted until recently, but this has now changed. For many foreigners however, used to much bigger numbers of demonstrators in their own countries, doubts remain. Why do Japanese people seem so reluctant to criticize the company and industry responsible for this man made disaster and the government which let it all happen?

Côte d'Ivoire: Laurent Gbagbo's Fall

  12 April 2011

On April 11 2011, Laurent Gbagbo was arrested at his residence in Cocody, with his wife, Simone, and their close entourage. The crisis that plagued the country has now seemingly found its epilogue. The sequence of events that led to Ggagbo's arrest was documented in details by online videos and intensely commented on the web.

Cambodia: Songs About Facebook

  12 April 2011

In Cambodia, Facebook is not yet considered a threat by the government. Politicians led by Prime Minister Hun Sen (who has been in power since 1985) have created their own Facebook pages where they interact with Cambodian citizens and netizens. There is however, a newer interesting Facebook trend in the country: Cambodians are creating songs about Facebook.

Belarus: Bombings in the Minsk Subway

RuNet Echo  11 April 2011

Belarus twitterers share information on the latest bombings in the Minsk subway via 3 main Twitter hashtags: #minsk, #minskblast, #twiby. Notolerance-cp publishes first pictures [ru] from the scene of event (warning – some disturbing scenes).

Egypt: Crackdown on Tahrir After “Cleansing Friday”

Tahrir Square was the scene of a brutal crackdown on the night of the biggest protest since Mubarak's ousting, which seemed to have revived the spirit of the revolution, harking back to some of the darkest Friday nights of the country's 18 days of protest. Asteris Masouras brings us the latest from netizens in the second of a two-part series.

Indonesian Netizens Support ‘Dancing Cop’

  9 April 2011

The video of a provincial cop dancing and lip-syncing to the tune of a Bollywood Indian song is now a certified internet and media hit in Indonesia. Authorities reprimanded the policeman for recording the act while on duty but netizens have expressed their support for the 'dancing cop'.

Nicaragua: Experiences of Online Citizen Participation

  9 April 2011

The web in Nicaragua is increasingly active, with projects for social events or small businesses finding niche markets to serve online. In order to learn a little more about these practices, Rodrigo Peñalba presents five videos considering the topics of tourism and the web, the social integration of migrants and people with limited resources, gender and sexual diversity and initiatives from the free software community in Nicaragua.

About our Video coverage

Juliana Rincón Parra
Juliana Rincón Parra is the Citizen Video editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.