15 May 2012

Stories from 15 May 2012

Caribbean: Supporting Our Mothers

  15 May 2012

Mother's Day, celebrated this past weekend all across the Caribbean, was a hot topic of discussion with regional bloggers - or rather, mothers were. From posts of admiration and thanks to accounts of how women regularly defy oppression, it was a mixed bag, but one that mothers everywhere would have been happy to sample from…

Cuba: Dissident Ferrer Garcia Re-Released

  15 May 2012

Havana Times reports that dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia was released by authorities late last week “after being held for more than 24 hours without his whereabouts being made known.”

Guyana: Creator of “Cuffie” Statue Dies

  15 May 2012

Demerara Waves acknowledges the passing of “internationally acclaimed artist and sculptor, Philip Moore”, who was perhaps best known for sculpting the 1763 Monument, a tribute to Cuffy, a former slave who is recognised as a national hero in Guyana.

Colombia: 5 Dead, 19 Injured After Bomb Blast in Bogotá

  15 May 2012

Netizens are reacting to the explosion of a bomb on a bus on Caracas Avenue and 74th street in Bogotá, Colombia's capital. The attack was allegedly directed at former Interior Minister Fernando Londoño. The latest reports [es] list 5 dead and 19 people injured. Related words and phrases like “74...

Mozambique: “Who wants to give birth here?”

  15 May 2012

Knight International Journalism Fellow Mercedes Sayagues published a video (with versions in English and Portuguese) which takes viewers on a sad tour of maternity clinics in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. The province has the highest maternal mortality rate in Mozambique.

Africa: Development or Democracy, Which Comes First?

  15 May 2012

The question of whether Africa needs to sacrifice democracy in order to focus on economic development has become the subject of much discussion online after the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi claimed at the World Economic Forum that there is no relationship between economic growth and democracy.

China: Propaganda Against U.S. Ambassador Backfires

  15 May 2012

Since the escape of blind civic rights activist Chen Guangcheng into the U.S embassy, the U.S Ambassador Gary Locke has become the major target for media attack in Bejing. However, so far each piece of political propaganda has resulted in a backfire.

Brazil: ‘Hands That Cure, Words That Heal’

  15 May 2012

With their herbs, gestures, prayers and comforting words, folk healing is an important element of Brazilian culture. Although some people believe that traditional healing art is disappearing, folk healers from two Brazilian cities have just had their activities recognised by pioneering laws.

Costa Rica: Blogger Interviews President Laura Chinchilla

  15 May 2012

Blogger Cristian Cambronero from the blog Fusil de Chispas interviewed [es] Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla. The interview was in part filmed by the production team Sürrealista [es], and two photographers (Priscilla Mora [es] and Diego Barracuda [es]) captured the meeting between Cristian and the President through photographs. You can read...

Latin America: Art from the Colonial Period in 2.0

  15 May 2012

We present a sample of the numerous blogs, videos and internet sites dedicated to promoting knowledge about colonial period art, a common artistic denominator for the majority of the American continent, the individual indigenous cultures of which first adopted and then adapted as their own.

Iran: A blogger was arrested

Iranian cyber police (Fata) announced [fa] a blogger in the northern city of Rasht was arrested. The blogger was accused of writing in his blog against Rasht's authorities and trying to “disturb public opinion”. Iranian police did not mention the blogger's name.

Iran: Successful campaign against lashes for cartoonist

  15 May 2012

An online campaign against lashes for Iranian cartoonist turned to be successful. Mahmoud Shokrayeh was sentenced to 25 lashes for a caricature of a local MP, Ahmad Lotfi. Iranian cartoonists launched a campaign on Facebook and cyberspace to draw Mr. Lotfi's cartoons in condemning this verdict. You can see some...

India: Cricket Or Wife

  15 May 2012

Jaspreet discusses how some Indian men have to balance between their love for cricket and obviously for their wife.