Brazil: Wikileaks Reveals Officials’ Disdain Towards the Guarani Kaiowá

Brazilian investigative journalism website Pública reports [pt] on documents leaked by WikiLeaks on the plight of the request for land of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá. A cable from 2009 reveals disdain by local authorities from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul towards Guarani-Kaiowá's demands for the demarcation of the lands...

Discussing New Forms of Journalism

What distinguishes citizen media from traditional media? Is it even still possible do draw the line? Global Voices author Débora Medeiros shares her notes from a discussion on new forms of journalism, which took place during a barcamp session at the Berlin Colloquium for Internet and Society, on October 26,...

Brazil: The Cry of Resistance of the Guarani Kaiowá

Under yet another threat of eviction from their lands, the Brazilian indigenous community of Guarani-Kaiowá released a letter that has rippled across the press and the web as a cry of resistance.

Portugal: Initiative Against Proposed State Budget

The interest rates on the public debt are “the only expenses that can be cut without recessive effects, bringing benefit to the liberation of resources for investment and job creation”, states [pt] the Democratic Congress of Alternatives on an online public petition [pt] to reject Portuguese government's Proposed State Budget...

Angola: War Remnants Become Toys

“Soberano” Canhanga on his blog Mesu Ma Jikuka writes a short post [pt] on children playing in old war tanks in Angola.

Cape Verde: A Short Documentary

East Timor: Documenting Traditional Music

The Timorese have a musical culture which is unique, but at present deeply hidden, the world is interested in it, and it deserves to be noticed and survive. The Unofficial East Timor blog publishes an interview with Ros Dunlop, the author of a book titled “Sounds of the Soul: The...

Guinea-Bissau: Six Killed in Attack to Military Base

An attack to a military base [pt] in Guinea-Bissau on the night of October 20, 2012, took the lives of at least six people. BBC journalist Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) informs on Twitter that the alleged mastermind of the attack is Captain N’Tchama, a member of the army elite unit who...

Portugal: Citizen Digital Activism

The atmosphere of growing indignation lived in Portugal in face of austerity measures, imposed by government at the command of the troika, has served as the trigger for more and more initiatives that bring new takes on the potential of digital media in the service of citizens.

Siege of Portuguese Parliament: “This is not our budget”

Amidst growing austerity and cuts to social welfare, citizens mobilized a siege of the Portuguese parliament, on October 15, 2012, the day the government officially submitted the draft proposal of the state budget for 2013 to the Assembly of the Republic.

Portugal: Siege to Parliament Live

Thousands of protesters in Lisbon are gathered in front of the Assembly of the Republic, in response to a call for a “Siege to São Bento [Palace]” [pt], the home to Portuguese Parliament. The protest is being livestreamed on bambuser, on Twitter the main hashtag in use is #OE13 (from State...

Portugal: Global Noise Cultural Protest in Images

In Portugal, October 13's Global Noise pot-banging protests took the form of performing arts and cultural demonstrations in 14 cities, under the motto "Screw the troika! We want our lives". In this post we gather a selection of photos and videos from the protests.

Global Pot-Banging Protests Scheduled for October 13

A day of pot-banging protests promises to shake the most sensitive ears across across the globe on October 13, 2012. The Global Noise initiative, organized by the international networks of Occupy, Indignados, and other social justice movements, aims to build on a wide variety of struggles for global justice and solidarity.

Brazil: Electoral Propaganda Waste

On the aftermath of Brazilian municipal elections that took place on October 7, 2012, the Facebook page Quem suja agora vai sujar depois (Who messes now will mess afterwards) [pt] shares photos and videos showing electoral propaganda waste in streets across the country.

On National Holiday Portugal's President Hoists Flag – Upside Down

The official celebrations of October 5 in Portugal, a national holiday that celebrates the establishment of the republic in 1910, was marked this year by a symbolic and rather unfortunate act by President Cavaco Silva, who unintentionally hoisted the country's flag upside-down.

Brazil: Protest Against Privatization Repressed by Police

A peaceful demonstration in front of the City Hall of Porto Alegre, Brazil, on October 4, ended with police brutality and teargas on the protesters, Sul21 reports [pt] (with photos and videos). Students were dancing in protest against the privatization of several public spaces around the city sponsored by Coca Cola...

Brazil: Staying Informed on Electoral Candidates

2011's Rising Voices grantee Amigos de Januária, from Brazil, posted [pt] several tips for citizens who want to use existing online transparency tools to find information about the candidates running for the municipal elections that will take place on October 7, 2012.

Amazon: Improving Public’s Perception of the Forest

InfoAmazonia is a platform that brings together organizations and journalists from nine countries of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world to freely provide news and reports of the endangered Amazon region. The website maps deforestation, fires, oil and mining, and calls for public participation through the submission...