Stories from 23 February 2011
Saudi Arabia: The Return of King Abdullah
Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz returned home on Wednesday 23 February, 2011, after a three month period abroad for medical treatment. Anticipation of serious political and economic reforms filled the air upon his arrival. Here is a snapshot of the reactions of Saudi netizens.
Pakistan: Facebook And Fundamentalism
Feisal Naqvi at Monsoon Frog writes how Fundamentalism is faring at the age of Facebook.
Jordan: Show of Solidarity at Libyan Embassy
Cultural website 7iber.com shares multimedia from demonstrations in support of the Libyan people outside Libya's embassy in Amman, Jordan
Bhutan: In His Majesty's Service
Dorji Wangchuk describes what is it like to be in the service of His Majesty the King of Bhutan.
Nepal's stalled revolution
Thom Brooks, Reader in Political and Legal Philosophy at Newcastle University, comments on Nepal's interesting embrace of communism while the rest of the world increasingly views the ideology as failed.
Colombia: Interview with Director of NGO “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures)
Albeiro Rodas interviewed Nora Isabel Saldarriaga, the director of “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures), “a Colombian NGO with different projects, but only one ideal: to stay at the side of vulnerable people like the victims of the armed conflict.”
Mexico: Achievements and Challenges for Artisan Women
Adele Hammond writes about artisan women in a village outside Oaxaca: “[…] the women we work with are committed to creating better lives for themselves and their children, despite the challenges of sometimes not having enough to eat or sufficient money to pay for their children’s needs. The BEST part...
Venezuela: False rumor of Gaddafi flying to Venezuela calls attention to relationship with Chávez
Greg at Two Weeks Notice reports that “Twitter has been loaded with rumors the past two days about Libya, and there was no juicier rumor than Moammar Gaddafi flying to Venezuela. It also turned out to be completely false, but,” he argues, “it underlined the very public and strong bond...
Poland: Prosecuted Blogger Hopes For a Different Verdict
Jakub Górnicki continues to report on the case of Łukasz Kasprowicz, a Polish blogger who was sued for defamation by a local official and is now banned from blogging by the court.
India: Discovering International Mother Language Day
Sunshine discovers the International Mother Language Day and she has finally learnt to take pride in her roots and her mother language.
Macedonia: Global Voices Featured on a TV Show
GV author Filip Stojanovski was interviewed [MKD] for the TV show Nie (“We”) on the topic of “Kale, Internet, political parties, Facebook!? Whose fault is it?”, where he spoke about the importance of citizen media and Global Voices. The show also included a segment of Ethan Zuckerman's TED talk.
Egypt: Flag Unites Mosque and Church
Wael Ghonim shared this video through Twitter: “Thats the real face of Egypt. Young Egyptians connect a mosque and a church with the Egyptian flag.”
Libya: Feeling the Iron Fist in Tripoli (Videos)
What is happening in Tripoli? Afraid of levels of violence Muammar Al Gaddafi will inflict on the city while clinging to power, Libyans -- and the rest of the world -- want to know. With the city virtually closed to foreign media, videos, photos and Twitter tells us all we know.
Lebanon: 128 Dictators or More to Revolt Against?
While the Arab world has been and is still revolting against its dictators, the situation in Lebanon is a bit different and more complex. According to netizens Imad Bazzi and Ali Fakhry, the Lebanese people are suffering from 128 dictators, who make up the Lebanese Parliament, and a sectarian regime. They decided to stage a protest to voice their concerns. Here is what happened and reactions which followed.
A declaration of love to the Portuguese language, in all its variations
On February 21 Global Voices in Portuguese commemorated International Mother Language Day with a tribute to the lusophony in all its linguistic and cultural diversity. Read the blogsphere's reflections on the first novel dedicated to the Portuguese language, Milagrário Pessoal - the most recent work by the Angolan author José Eduardo Agualusa.
Africa: Africa Visual Media Blog
Africa Visual Media blog keeps track of African and Africa-related culture in the media (film, photography, television, and print).
Sudan: South Sudan as teaching moment
Lessons to be learned from the birth Africa's newest nation: “Failure to satisfy sub-national demands is inevitable. Not all grievances merit an institutional remedy. But the center of African politics risks unleashing a parade of secessionist demands — and stream of new nations — if the case for the superiority...
Cote d'Ivoire: Crisis Update
Martin discusses the impact of the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire on his business: “The spreadsheet where I keep track of cashflows in the real estate business has unfortunately, but unsurprisingly gotten a little bit more interesting lately. Things were fine and dull until November, but then the crisis hit...
Liberia: Revive Liberia
Revive Liberia is a blog by Revive Liberia Missions, Inc., a wholly volunteer, non-denominational Christian group committed to improving the physical and spiritual lives of the people who live in post-war Liberia.
Côte d'Ivoire: Violent Repression of Street Protests
After a little rest in coverage, the international media is once again looking to Côte d'Ivoire. The last five days have seen the country experience further violence and increased radicalisation of Ivorian netizens' speeches.
Africa/Middle East: Where does Africa end and the Middle East begin?
Sophia Azeb asks, “Where does Africa end and the Middle East begin?”: “Yes – this so-called ‘Arab world’ has its own sets of racial hierarchies. Absolutely. Many in North Africa would bristle at being called African, much less black. And certainly–the treatment of migrant laborers in North Africa and Southwest...
