· April, 2013

Stories about Portuguese from April, 2013

Brazilian Cartoonist Inspires Kissing Protest

  28 April 2013

Images of people kissing went viral on Facebook, blogs and Twitter in Brazil, under the hashtags #beijaço (protest by kissing) and #Laerte. Strips by Laerte published on Folha de São Paulo newspaper, triggered the ‘protest by kissing’ against the anti-gay preacher Marco Feliciano, recently elected Brazil Human Rights Committee Head.

Indigenous People Occupy Brazil's Congress Over Land Rights Bill

  26 April 2013

The occupation of a plenary session of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies by around 300 indigenous people, on April 16, have caught congressmen by surprise and have put the spotlight on proposed amendment to the Constitution number 215, which transfers the power to demarcate indigenous land from the Executive to the Legislative power.

What Do Mozambique's Artists Need?

  24 April 2013

April 2013's “Open Terrace” will focus on Artists and ‘Houses of Culture’ [pt] from the Northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The initiative takes place every month, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to debate public issues. On December 2012, Global Voices reported on an Open Terrace dedicated to transparency...

Brazilians Accuse FIFA of Stamping Out Local Culture

  22 April 2013

Anger in Brazil is on the rise as World Cup authorities refuses to allow street vendors in the northeastern city of Salvador, one of 12 cities hosting the 2014 football competition, from selling a typical local food known as "acarajé" during the Cup. Some are accusing FIFA of trying to snuff out Brazilian culture from World Cup branding.

Brazil Accused of Spying on Belo Monte Dam Opponents

  18 April 2013

An activist collective opposed to the construction of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in northern Brazil uncovered a spy among its members who confessed to infiltrating the the group allegedly at the behest of the dam company and the Brazilian intelligence agency. The agency is also accused of spying on dock workers in northeastern Brazil.

Displaced Residents Accuse Brazilian Power Plant of False Promises

  17 April 2013

Among 4,325 people that have been either removed or indirectly affected by the construction of the Jirau and Santo Antonio dams in the Madeira river region, in the Brazilian Amazon, former river dwellers who now reside in New Mutum Paraná complain about promises that haven't been met concerning their displacement.

Portugal: One Arrested in “Screw the Troika” Protest

  17 April 2013

An anti-austerity flashmob called by “Screw the Troika” [pt] in front of the the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon, on April 16, 2013, ended with the detention of a 49 year old woman. The protest against the visit of the IMF, ECB and European Comission representatives in Portugal, was recorded in video...

Mozambique: Coal mine blocked in protest

  17 April 2013

Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is reporting on Facebook that about 500 residents of neighborhoods resettled by Brazilian mining company Vale are blocking road access to its coal mine in Moatize, Tete province. The peaceful protest is for greater compensation. The paper is reporting the rail line is also disrupted.

Residents Displaced by Brazilian Power Plant Struggle to Earn Living

  16 April 2013

While moving in to New Mutum Parana – a town built by the company Energia Sustentável to house Jirau’s engineers and officers – the river dwellers who were removed from their community in order to allow Madeira River’s power plant flooding found a “phantom city” where making a living seems impossibe.

Guinea-Bissau President Caught up in ‘Arms for Drugs’ Conspiracy

  15 April 2013

A drug and arms trafficking scheme in Guinea Bissau appears to go straight to the top. On the eve of the first anniversary of a military coup in Guinea Bissau that thwarted last year's presidential elections, US court documents seemed to implicate the country's interim president in a failed plan to smuggle weapons to Colombian rebels and cocaine into Guinea Bissau.

São Tomé and Príncipe: Petition Against Deforestation

  12 April 2013

Raul Jorge, a Santomean citizen, launched a petition [fr] against deforestation in São Tomé and Príncipe, addressed to the current Prime Minister Gabriel Costa. The petition has already gathered more than 700 signatures. In October 2012, Global Voices reported about the situation; in response netizens published videos and a Facebook...

FIFA Vetoes Brazil's Stadium Name

  7 April 2013

Brazilian journalist Fernando Rodrigues complains [pt] about FIFA's veto of the name of a “Brazilian public stadium in Brasília, built with the money of tax payers”. The stadium is named after the famous 50's-60's football player “Mané” Garrincha. FIFA does not allow that name to be used during the 2014...

VIDEO: Guinea-Bissau Community Radio Serves People, Not Politics

  6 April 2013

Guinea-Bissau's community radio does much more than fill local airwaves with music, according to the documentary "Voice of the Population". Stations have saved lives during a cholera outbreak, fought against illegal logging, and pushed back against gender discrimination, all the while uniting local communities around the rich musicality of Guinea-Bissau.

Cuban Blogger Denied US Visa

  4 April 2013

Cuban blogger, teacher and GV author Elaine Díaz Rodríguez was denied a visa to enter the US [pt] Wednesday, April 3, 2013, preventing her from participating in the International Congress of Latin-American Studies. Brazilian journalist Alex Haubrich reported Elaine's frustration with and criticism of the US government's criteria.  

Mozambican Political Parties and the Internet

  3 April 2013

(…) there is a space that until now has been little explored by the national political forces, be it for political propaganda or electoral campaigns: the internet. Mozambican platform Olho Cidadão (Eye of the Citizen) launched a new blog on April 2, 2013, with an analysis of the presence of...

Century-Old Trees Face the Axe in Brazil

  2 April 2013

Residents in host city Porto Alegre are threatening to climb and occupy century-old trees in Southern Brazil to save them from being axed for an expansion project in preparations for the 2014 World Cup.

Anonymous Brazil Report on Controversial Preacher

  1 April 2013

Anonymous Brazil released a dossier [pt] about Marco Feliciano, recently elected as chairman of the Committee for Human Rights and Minorities in the Deputy Chamber amid the outrage of human rights defenders due to his vocal hardline views on homosexuality and racist remarks. The dossier contains information on legal cases involving the evangelical...

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Manuel Ribeiro
Manuel Ribeiro is the Portuguese editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write here.