Stories from 17 March 2011
Japan: Citizen Videos of the Earthquake
Citizen videos recorded Friday, March 11 during the earthquake and tsunami that caused mass devastation in many parts of Japan are all over YouTube. Among the many shared online, here are just a few.
Africa: Blog by African feminist artists
Nyangoma is a blog managed by a collective of African feminist artists. The idea was born at the first African Feminist Forum in Accra, Ghana in October 2006. A group of photographers, painters, filmmakers, writers and publishers came together to discuss the role of art in our feminist work.
Japan: Anime Explains Current Nuclear Crisis
The ongoing disaster unfolding at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power station in the wake of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami has received an anime explanation, courtesy of this video by media artist Kazuko Hachiya (八谷和彦).
Japan: TV Ads Instead of Earthquake Warning
Boing Boing blog points us towards a video that shows us the programming in 6 main TV channels in Japan during the Earthquake: sadly, most channels didn't even bother to noticeably show the earthquake warning, opting instead for continuing with the advertisements. TimeOutTokyo commented: “This is why we watch NHK.”
Brazil: Great Fishing Against Belo Monte Dam
Traditional populations of the Brazilian Amazon forest ran the “Great Fishing Action” from March 11 to March 14. The campaign, which urged against the Belo Monte Dam while calling for the protection of the Xingu river, gathered around 600 fishermen in the city of Altamira . The Xingu Vivo Committee...
Angola: Preemptive Maneuver Cancels “Revolution”
A week after the date of the revolution supposed to "dethrone" Angolan Government, the situation in the country appears calm. Preemptive manoeuvre actions of the State contributed greatly to this: pro-MPLA rallies were convened, troops were put at the ready, and protesters were silenced.
Syria: Protests for Release of Political Prisoners, 38 Detained
On March 15, following a "day of rage" in Syria, a group of around 150 protesters gathered outside of the Interior Ministry in Damascus, demanding the release of political prisoners. So far, at least 38 have been detained.
Côte d'Ivoire: When Ethnic Hate Shadows Politics
Abobo and Yopougon are two districts of Abidjan, the economic capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. Different ethnic and religious groups have mixed peacefully in the areas, until the recent Ivorian political crisis began. For the last ten days, they have witnessed incidents of ethnic violence, crystallising political disputes and the threat of civil war.
