My name is Alice Backer. I am founder and former team leader of GV Lingua, which amplifies Global Voices in languages other than English. I used to be Francophonia Editor. I was once an editor of New York University School of Law's Review of Law & Social Change. I have been blogging about Haiti, Haitian-Americans and the Caribbean for 5 years at kiskeácity and I tweet from @kiskeacity. I am also a lawyer and campaign consultant.
Latest posts by Alice Backer from September, 2006
Martinique/Guad./Guyane: Skype Rates and Impact
InternetRapide.com is excited to offer (Fr) PC to mobile Skype Out rates from France to Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyane and suspects that Skype products will hinder local providers from successfully developing attractive internet telephony products for those countries.
La Reunion, USA: Pondering American Employment Trends
US-based La Reunion-origined blogger Sandy of Reunion-USA2 posts several cartoons illustrating that (Fr): “In the USA, the cost of living is so high that only a minority of lucky ones can afford to work only one job. Case in point, these two cartoons explaining that having multiple jobs has become...
Haiti, Montreal: 2nd Annual Haitian Film Festival
Collectif Haiti de Provence points to an Alterpresse article which highlights an important Haitian film event (Fr): “The second edition of the International Festival of Haitian Film (FIFHM) was launched Wednesday September 6 at the Canadian National Film Office (ONF) in the St Denis neighborhood of Montreal. This initiative of...
Cameroon: West Cameroon Secessionists
Fojrega writes (Fr): “As the crucial October 1 date nears, the majority anglophone provinces of the North West and South West are under high surveillance. Police and government authorities fear an increase in influence of SCNC activists who demand the independence of ex-Western Cameroon.“
Senegal: Wade's Secrets
Seckasystemeperso isn't sure (Fr) whether integrity or a desire to settle scores are motivating former President Wade ally Abdoulaye Bathily's recent public outbursts but rejoices nonetheless in the man's recent revelations of Wade's alleged “secrets and governance scams”. He points to a Le Quotidien article on the issue. (No permalink...
Reunion: Actively Blogging
Alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Reunion a French Overseas Department located in the Indian Ocean to the East of Africa has one of the most active blogospheres in the francophone world. Its portal Reunion Permanente either explains the bustling activity or illustrates it. The portal even keeps track of...
Senegal: Senegality and the End of a Regime
Seckasysteme points to (Fr) an article by Dr. Mame Marie Faye expressing growing discontent with President Abdoulaye Wade's leadership. She writes: “For a few months now, the sense that the end of an era is approaching is pervading this country and nothing or anyone can stop it. With the latest...
Martinique, Africa: Perspective on Lesbianism in Africa
Le Blog de [Moi] deplores (Fr) historian/anthropologist Boris de Rachewiltz’ take on African female homosexuality in his 1993 book on African sexual practices:”Homosexuality is covered in the paragraph on sexual deviations. Promiscuity, absence of the other sex and narcissism, use of sex toys as penis substitutes: it's all there.”
Cote d'Ivoire: Toxic Waste Scandal
Kangni Alem writes (Fr):”There is no virtue in politics, let alone in business. The case of the toxic waste from a Greek (or was it Russian?) ship dumped in Abidjan illustrates the violence of this maxim and reminds me that since the 80s, political leaders and economic elites of Africa...
Haiti: Questioning Haitel's 70 Million Investment
Tout Haiti ponders (Fr) Haitian telecom Haitel's recent 70 million dollar investment into CDMA technology: “Why didn't the Haitel investors invest those 70 million dollars in the agricultural sector where there is much more stability compared to Port-au-Prince.”
Martinique/Guadeloupe: Hike in Prices to Cuba
According to (Fr) the Martiniquan site Bondamanjak: “Cuba just ended direct flights from Fort-de-France and Pointe-a-Pitre to Habana. That news will hinder those who have established commercial and other contacts with the biggest Caribbean island. By going through Miami, the exchanges will remain possible but everything will take longer and...
Haiti: Back to School
Collectif Haiti de Provence links (Fr) to a metropolehaiti.com article explaining the hurdles that parents and children alike faced today in going back to school. Namely, according to the Minister of Education Gabriel Bien-Aime, only 10% of schoolchildren will be able to start school this week, a number lower than...
Martinique, France, World Cup: Would a Blue Shirt Have Done it?
Faced with evidence that the French soccer team wore blue jerseys in 1998 and 2000 when the team had better World Cup luck, Le Blog de [Moi] theorizes (Fr) that the team's choice of a white jersey for this year's World Cup final was unwise.
Martinique: Ursula Martinez and [Moi]
Le Blog de [Moi] marvels (Fr) at the amount of attention her blog received for a video of an Ursula Martinez act at the Juste Pour Rire festival in Montreal. She says: “I was linked to from all countries and in all languages.”
Reunion Is Waiting for You
Reunion Passion announces (Fr) that an exhibit is taking place in Paris September 12 and 13 to relaunch Reunion as a tourism destination entitled: “Reunion is Waiting for You.” Reunion's tourism industry was dealt a blow by an ongoing Chikungunya fever outburst.
Guadeloupe: Demanding a Fiscal Revolution
Convention pour une Guadeloupe Nouvelle, the blog of a political organization by the same name, deplores (Fr) that a recent law mandating that duty-free zones be created in Guadeloupe has not been implemented. The blog adds: “Guadeloupe needs an in-depth fiscal reform in order to ensure its economic growth, create...
French Antilles: Arrival of ADSL Technology?
InternetRapide.com wonders (Fr) whether a recent sign read in a French Guiana telecom store predicts the imminent arrival of ADSL TV in the French Overseas Departments of the Caribbean.
Reunion: More on Volcano Eruption
Of the latest eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion's volcano, Dijoux.re writes (Fr): “This eruption is a surprise because it was not predicted by specialists who only recorded the first quakes an hour and a half before the lava flow. (…) According to the observatory, this sudden eruption...
Reunion: Volcano Eruption
Reunion Passion announces (Fr) that Reunion's local volcano is erupting once again. She also posts pictures.
