· January, 2011

Stories about Western Europe from January, 2011

Morocco: The King's Very Private Visit to France

  29 January 2011

According to a Moroccan opposition journalist interviewed by French news website Rue89 [fr] King Mohamed VI of Morocco arrived Thursday in France for a private visit, and is staying in the castle the royal family owns near Paris. A holiday abroad at this time of general unrest in North Africa...

Puerto Rico: Violence Continues as Students Engage in Civil Disobedience

  28 January 2011

On January 20th, students from the University of Puerto Rico started staging acts of civil disobedience as part of their strike against the $800 dollar annual fee imposed by the administration. The Police has arrested almost 100 protesters and assaulted journalists who have been covering the incidents. Social media and blogs have been an important tool of dissemination and a space for analysis.

Video: Shoemakers of the World

  21 January 2011

Today's videos focus on the artisans around the world still making shoes by hand. From Mexico to Japan: we'll take a look at how different shoes, slippers and sandals are made.

France: Our Embarrassing Ex Friend, Monsieur Ben Ali

  16 January 2011

It has finally dawned. After decade of state amitié (friendship) with the Ben Ali regime, and total indifference from French politicians and mainstream media, French bloggers and twitterers are now aware that France has been living in a prolonged state of denial - thanks to history in the making in one of France ex-colonies, Tunisia, and a week of historical diplomatic blunders and shameful silence in France.

France: A Show of Tunisian Pride in Paris

  15 January 2011

Today, January 15, marks the "day after" and the first day of a Ben Ali free Tunisia. Despite their concern for the continuous violence in Tunisia, their relatives and the future, the 600 000 Tunisians in France granted themselves one day to rejoice, celebrate and share an overwhelming collective emotion. Here are a few pictures from a Tunisian show of pride in Paris.

Mozambique: Drugs and open secrets “wikileaked”

  12 January 2011

Documents made available by Wikileaks reignited scrutiny of a Mozambican businessman earlier accused by the US Treasury of large-scale narcotics smuggling. However the leaked documents also suggest complicity by high-level cabinet officials. Bloggers, activists and parliamentarians reacted strongly.

Nigeria: RIP Harold Smith

  10 January 2011

Jeremy remembers Harold Smith: “Harold was a courageous man who took on the corrupt dying embers of colonial rule in Nigeria and paid a heavy price for it.”

Lusophone collective conscience and cyberspace

  7 January 2011

“Lusophony, identity and diversity in the network” [pt] is the title of an article written by the Portuguese researcher Lourdes Macedo (republished in the blog Buala), with reflections on the contribution that “cyberspace may offer to consolidate the collective conscience of a Lusophone community. “

COP 16: Agreement on Form But Without the Funds

  6 January 2011

The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended in Cancun last December 11 with the adoption of a host of decisions. Bloggers in Bolivia, Mexico, and Togo give a lukewarm reception to the decisions, which don't seem to have a clearly defined roadmap for their financing.

Lusophone Traditions in Malacca

  4 January 2011

Baragül, a Brazilian blogger, investigates the lusophone influence in Malacca (Malaysia). In this post he argues about some gastronomy traditions shared between Brazil, Portugal and East Timor that are also present in the former Portuguese Colony.