Latest posts by Ayesha Saldanha
Egypt: Welcoming A New Country
Egyptians are dreaming of a better future, and for some the dream is already coming true. In this post we hear from Egyptian bloggers who feel they are seeing a new country being born, the country they have been waiting for.
Egypt: “I am writing for the sake of history”
The protests in Egypt continue, and have the attention of people not only in Egypt, but across the region and around the world. In this post we hear from a blogger who wants to remind anyone who might sympathise with President Mubarak just how things have reached this point.
“In the beginning was the Word”: Blogs by Bible translators
This week Christians will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christianity appears in many forms around the world and has around 2.2 billion adherents. In this post we take a look at the blogs of the people trying to make sure Christian scripture can be understood in as many languages as possible – Bible translators.
Oman: A Blogging Pioneer Tells His Story
Blogs in Oman, as in other countries in the region, are somewhat less popular than internet forums, but there has been a growth in blogging in recent years. Global Voices has spoken to Muawiyah Alrawahi, a young blogger who has been encouraging Omanis to blog and to create public debate in their country, with the argument that “the issue that we don’t discuss is the issue we won’t solve”.
Palestine: Sending A Message With Social Media
Arjan El Fassed made headlines last year for having a street in a Palestinian refugee camp named after his Twitter account, and has been involved with an online initiative in which people can request messages to be spray-painted on the West Bank wall. In this interview with Global Voices he talks about the potential of social media to help the Palestinian cause.
Palestine: For Gaza Students, No Graduation Without Hijab
The majority of women in Gaza wear the hijab, and those who do not frequently face heavy pressure to do so. In this post we hear from a blogger who is furious that a friend who refuses to wear a headscarf has not been allowed to graduate from university.
Palestine: The Politics Of Issuing Passports
The hostility between the Hamas government in Gaza and the Fatah government in Ramallah has manifested itself in many areas, from education to electricity. Now it is affecting the issuing of passports, and one blogger in Gaza has been caught in the middle.
Palestine: A Possibility of Military Conscription?
The Hamas government's Interior Minister, Fathi Hammad, earlier this week announced that he was considering expanding Gaza's military force, initially with volunteers and eventually with conscripts. Bloggers in Gaza have reacted with astonishment to the idea.
India: The Korean Cultural Wave In Nagaland
Many people in Nagaland, a tribal state in Northeast India, feel disconnected from India and a different culture has been making an impact in recent years - that of Korea.
Palestine: A Green Home Away from Home
In this post we hear about two women with a great love of nature: a nun who has found her home in the convent garden, and a city-dwelling mother who has brought her dreams of a village garden to the balcony of her apartment.
Palestine: The Pain of Exile
Palestinian refugees are one of the biggest displaced populations in the world, with the United Nations providing assistance for some 4.7 million registered refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Millions more displaced and emigrant Palestinians live around the world. However, their attachment remains strong to the home they, or their parents or grandparents, left behind. Two bloggers in Gaza have written about the pain of exile.
Palestine: Surviving with Portable Generators in Gaza
The only power plant in Gaza shut down temporarily on June 25 due to a payment dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. During power cuts of 12 or more hours a day, the residents of Gaza now depend even more on portable diesel generators that carry a significant health and safety risk.
India: What Does It Mean To Be Indian?
What does it mean to be Indian? Priya Ramani is editor of Mint Lounge, the weekend magazine of business newspaper Mint, and an article she wrote recently about her feeling that she wasn't really Indian provoked heated debate online.
Palestine: “I am afraid of the sea”
In reaction to the raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31, Gaza blogger Kawther Abu Hani has written a poetic post from the perspective of a child, entitled Sweets Don't Drown.
Palestine: “I Support Turkey”
The Turkish-led flotilla which attempted to break the blockade of Gaza has strained Israeli-Turkish relations, while gaining Turkey much respect in the Arab world. One Gaza blogger has decided to show her appreciation for Turkey's stance in a practical way - by starting a campaign to buy Turkish goods.
India: Video Giving A Voice To Marginalised Communities
IndiaUnheard is a new initiative involving a network of Community Correspondents around India who will produce video stories about life in their community, and the issues ignored by mainstream media.
India: Outrage At Mangalore Plane Crash
An Air-India Express plane arriving from Dubai has crashed in Mangalore Bajpe airport in south India, killing most of the 166 people on board. It is the first major crash in India for some years, but many bloggers and Twitter users are not surprised at the news.
Palestine: Gaza Hosts Its Own Soccer World Cup
Football (soccer) fans are preparing for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa next month, but right now another football World Cup is going on – in Gaza.
Israel/Palestine: Will There Ever Be A Deal For Shalit?
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been held by Hamas for nearly four years, with all attempts having failed to get him released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Blogger "The Other Door", a Palestinian citizen of Israel, gives his perspective on Shalit's ongoing captivity in this post.
Korea: Translating The Tweets Of Novelist Lee Oisoo
Lee Oisoo is a Korean novelist and artist who has been described as "an eccentric, a genius and a lunatic". When he set up a Twitter account last year he quickly amassed thousands of followers. Now his tweets are being translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. But how did a Bahraini blogger get involved?
Palestine: The Commodification Of Gaza
Exiled is a blogger who recently left Gaza - and he is in no hurry to return. In this translation of a recent post of his, we hear his opinions about political propaganda and self-interest, the tunnels to Egypt and the planned steel fence, and the nature of the outside world's concern for the Gaza Strip.
