Global Voices Online

Custódio Duma wonders whether Africans have been ‘cursed', leading to servitude of black people worldwide. He mentions biblical perspectives and says [pt]: “It's from Africa that most resources that keep the capitalism machine working comes from. Yet, Africans almost do not profit from them. […] But who has cursed Africans?”

Maria Frô calls on bloggers and middle-class population [pt] of São Paulo to join her on February 8th to protest against the disregard of the city's mayor and state government for the flood striking the city. She says “it is a big chance for you to show true solidarity and prove you really love São Paulo.”

Deborah Goldemberg mourns the death of Zilda Arns, one of the Brazilian victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann was a children's right activist and founder of the Child's Pastoral of Brazil. Internet users in Brazil are also reacting to the news on Twitter.

Blogger Cristiana Soares, in collaboration with net-citizens, launched Projeto Enchentes [Project Floods, pt], a platform for tracking — and gathering information about – floods in Brazil. The project counts with a collaborative map created by Henrique Brandão.

Pedro Witchs shares in YouTube his interpretation of the song “Todos os Verbos” [All the verbs], originally by singer Zélia Duncan, into LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language). Vocal and guitar by Rodrigo Romão.

There are 20 languages spoken in Mozambique, according to the government website, apart from the official Portuguese. Carlos Serra [pt] wonders if there are more, according to two renowned linguists: “One told me that there were between 20 and 26; the other told me that there were 17 written and some yet to be spelled out”.

“It was high time capoeira were represented in the big screen in all its glory”, says Regina Scharf. She talks about a just released movie about the Afro-Brazilian martial art/dance. Watch Besouro's trailler on the Deep Beazil blog.

On the 15th November Portuguese language blogger, Timor Lorosae Nacao, posted disturbing images of the corpse of Major Alfredo Reinado undergoing an autopsy in Dili in February 2008.  Major Reinado led a group of armed men to the house of Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta on the morning of 11 February 2008.  Reinado was killed during this encounter.

Freelance photographer Anderson Barbosa took chilling photos of the eviction of 800 families from the Olga Benário squatter settlement in São Paulo after a court order. The property had been occupied for two years by hundreds of families who watched their houses burn and be demolished last Monday.