Stories about Portuguese from November, 2012
Worldwide Protests for Brazil's Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá
Threatened with expulsion from their land, with their waters poisoned, and ready to resist to the death, the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue / Mbarakay, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, finds on social media and on the streets worldwide support from activists.
Angola's Sophisticated Censorship
The 37 years of independence of Angola don't translate into more press freedom. Rather, the model of Angolan censorship is getting increasingly sophisticated. The most recent attack was against the "Semanário Angolense" (Angolan Weekly), condemned to the fire for reproducing a critical speech by Isaias Samakuva, the President of the opposition party, UNITA.
Indigenous Organization Denounces Brazil at the UN
The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) denounces [pt] human rights abuses against the indigenous populations in an open-letter [pt] to the United Nations. Among several issues, APIB calls the attention to the Guarani-Kaiowa genocide, the mining projects on indigenous lands and the illegal constructions in the Amazon rainforest...
Brazil to Portugal and Back Again: Interview With Izabel Pimentel
Léa Promaja, the alias of an independent journalist working in the Balkans, posted an audio interview [in Portuguese, with English and French subtitles] with Izabel Pimentel, “the first Brazilian woman crossing the Atlantic single-handed.”
Widespread Elephant Poaching in Mozambique Reserve Uncovered
A news report published by the newspaper @Verdade at the end of October 2012, unmasks illegal hunting of elephants in the Mareja Reserve, in the Northern region of Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado. According to the article, the "massacre" has taken on "gigantic proportions".
Brazil: More Dialogue Needed to Solve the Conflict of the Guarani-Kaiowá
The Youtube account A Luta Guarani released a video interview [pt] with the Guarani-Kaiowá anthropologist Tonico Benites. He comments on the attacks by farmers of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and calls for more dialogue to solve the conflicts. In April 2012, an open letter [pt] written by Benites...
Afro-Brazilian Women, Tight Curly Hair and Black Consciousness
On November 20, Brazil celebrated Black Awareness Day; in honor of the day, we invite you to watch the documentary Raíz Forte (Strong Roots), "start a discussion about hair in terms of belonging to and explaining our African ancestry." The film depicts social prejudices and how black women in Brazil have historically dealt with their hair.
Brazil: Northeastern audience moved by musical biopic
After much anticipation, Brazilian film “Gonzaga: De Pai Para Filho” about legendary musician Luiz Gonzaga has been moving audiences, and nowhere more than in the country's northeast where forró music is a part of life. Brazilian film blogger Chico Fireman shares his personal experience [pt] watching the film.
Brazilian Guarani Community Denounces ‘Poisoned’ River
A video showing the contamination of the Ypo'i river, near the settlement of an indigenous Guarani community, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, has been circulating on the web. The Guarani, struggling for their land, “believe it was deliberate and ‘not an accident’”, Survival International reports.
Brazilian Court Suspends Eviction Order of Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá
The mass online mobilization that followed an appeal from the Guaraní-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue in Mato Grosso do Sul gave crucial support to their struggle to resist expulsion from their lands. In late October, the Brazilian courts decided to suspend their eviction order. However, the struggle continues until their lands are officially demarcated.
Night Clashes Overshadow Portugal's Largely Peaceful General Strike
The general strike of November 14, 2012, in Portugal once again brought people against austerity to the streets across the country. The real motivations for the demonstrations however, were ignored by mainstream media, as by the end of an intense day of peaceful marches and sit-ins, confrontations between police and protesters turned the violence into top news.
Strike Across Southern Europe
November 14 witnessed the first strike of its kind, including all the southern European countries most affected by austerity and financial crisis. Events were covered by citizens on the street in realtime, including acts of solidarity, creativity, and reports of police brutality.
Guinea-Bissau: International Arrest Warrant Against Blogger
The most visible face of Guinea-Bissau's blogosphere, António Aly Silva, wrote [pt] that he is being accused of “the crime of incitement to war” and that an international arrest warrant was issued against him by the regime in power since the coup of April 2012. In an interview [pt] for...
Latin American Youth Against Corruption
Andrea Arzaba shares a video where she interviews Latin American youth leading projects in favor of transparency and accountability. These young leaders participated in the Third Global Voices Against Corruption Forum, organized by the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network (GYAC) in Brasilia, Brazil on November 5 and 6.
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Demands Better Sanitation
The initiative Sanitation is Basic, launched by the nonprofit organisation Meu Rio, has served as a slogan for the increase in online campaigns owing to popular online pressure created by citizens and social movements in Rio. According to the organisation, "half the population in Rio de Janeiro is still without mains water and sewerage."
Guinea-Bissau: More citizen frustration with turmoil
Buala blog shared a message circulating via email by Moema Parente Augel e Johannes Augel [Pt] raising international awareness about the “abusive and illegal regime” in Guinea-Bissau and what they deem to be an attempted counter-coup on October 21. IT specialist Gabriel Vaz also shared his dissatisfaction with turmoil in his...
East Timor: Monument to the Santa Cruz Massacre
On the preparations for the anniversary of the Santa Cruz Massacre (November 12, 1991), a photo of a monument to be inaugurated in Dili circulated on Facebook.
Guinea-Bissau: Chinese Loggers near Buba River
The minutes of a youth and citizenship meeting held in October 2012 in Guinea-Bissau mentions [pt] the “massive logging of pau de sangue” woodtrees (Pterocarpus violaceus Vog.) by Chinese companies in the region. The post stresses the lack of information and “the silence of local and national authorities”. Novas da Guiné...
Portugal: An Open Letter to Germany
Portuguese economist and researcher José Maria Castro Caldas published an open letter to the citizens of Germany on the website of the Initiative for a Citizen Audit of the public debt. The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will be on an official visit to Portugal on November 12, 2012.
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