Global Voices » Humor

Video: Robot Shows us How to Stay Safe Online

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:12:00 +0000

ONO the Robot

Online security is a complex issue that is sometimes hard to understand or to know how to face. Using a lovable animated robot, the Tactical Tech Collective is trying to get more people aware on how to stay safe online through short video animations that can be viewed online or downloaded.

With eight new weekly releases for their new series Survival in the Digital Age, ONO the robot will help us with email security, facebook security, private browsing and more. The first video in the new series is HEY YAHOO! HTTPS MY EMAILS! where how to chose a safe web based email provider. The organization is using crowdsourcing efforts to translate the videos into as many languages as possible.

In 2010, ONO made its appearance explaining the Digital Traces we leave behind and how to keep our personal information and contacts safe when using mobile devices, cameras or the internet. The videos in this past series have been subtitled into many different languages already. Following is the promotional video for this episode, the full length video can be viewed at Onorobot.org.

Through ONO's own eyes, we see how we are constantly tracked through our digital communications. While a lot of the time this might not be harmful for us, we have little control over what we want to keep private and what is available for viewing, recording and information harvesting. This is crucial for activists and journalists who might be under surveillance and whose digital activities can put them in danger. ONO explores some of the ways that people can protect their identity and separate who they are from what they are doing such as: the use of anonymising and circumvention tools and encryption. ONO warns us that we need to know what we are doing when trying more advanced privacy techniques and provides a checklist for the best practises which everyone can implement in our daily use of email, mobile phones and online services.

Following is a preview for the Safe Email episode. Full length here.

With a callout to Global Voices Advocacy Access Denied Map, ONO'S GUIDE TO SAFE SURFING tells people how to stay safe while surfing online, specially when accessing sites that may be blocked. Following the promotional video, full length on the site.

You can learn more about ONO through Facebook, twitter (@onorobot), and more about online security through the Tactical Tech site.

Israel: Mofaz Derided for Joining Unity Government

Elizabeth Tsurkov — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:24:06 +0000

Israel's biggest news story of recent months happened in the early hours of May 8: the head of the opposition and new chairman of the centrist Kadima party, Shaul Mofaz, agreed to join Benjamin Netanyahu's government, thus postponing the early elections Netanyahu had announced just days before.

The new unity government has 94 members out of 120 members of the Knesset. In exchange for joining the government, Mofaz was promised the title of a Minister Without Portfolio for the (non-existent) peace process with the Palestinians.

The surprising news came as the Israeli public was gearing up for early elections on September 4. The unity government is designed to ensure that the Netanyahu government will remain in power for the next 15 months, and will make it the first government in decades in Israel to complete its full term. Mofaz, who had at first insisted he would never join Netanyahu's government, was apparently worried about taking part in elections since all the polls predicted his party would greatly diminish in power.

Shaul Mofaz. Image posted on Flickr by Tzipi Livni (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Israelis turned to Twitter, Facebook and blogs to comment on the surprising news. Many of them referred to Mofaz's harsh criticism of Netanyahu up until the moment he entered the government under Netanyahu's leadership. For example, on March 3, Mofaz's official Facebook page posted:

תקשיבו טוב: אני לא אכנס לממשלה של ביבי. לא היום. לא מחר ולא אחרי שאעמוד בראשות קדימה ב-28 במארס. זו ממשה רעה, כושלת ואטומה וקדימה בראשותי תחליף אותה בבחירות הבאות. מספיק ברור?

Listen to me closely: I will not enter Bibi's [Netanyahu's] government. Not today. Not tomorrow and not after I head Kadima on March 28 [at the time he was competing against Tzipi Livni for the leadership of the party]. This is a bad and failed government that doesn't listen to the people, and Kadima under my leadership will replace it in the next elections. Is that clear enough?

Israeli journalist Tal Schneider wrote on her blog about the winners and losers of this deal. Listing Mofaz as a loser, she explained:

שאול מופז – התדמית הציבורית שלו תפגע קשות בעקבות ההחלטה להיכנס לממשלה עם שותף פוליטי אותו כינה לא מזמן “שקרן”. מופז בונה על הטמטום של ציבור הבוחרים, על הזכרון החלש של האנשים. אבל אחרי שהבטיח שהוא יוביל את המחאה של הקיץ, החלטתו הלילה להיכנס לממשלה הופכת אותו לקטן שבקטנים.

Shaul Mofaz's public image will be greatly harmed because of his decision to enter the government with a political partner he recently called a “liar”. Mofaz is counting on the stupidity of the voters, on the weak memory of the population. But after he had promised to lead the social protests during the summer, his decision tonight to enter the government makes him the smallest of the small.

Leading leftist blogger Yossi Gurvits commented on the implications of this move for the Kadima party:

Kadima, a party whose motto may well have been, “We took corruption out of Likud (and brought it to a new home),” also seems to be finished. Why would anyone vote for it again? During the 2009 elections, Livni managed to con the voters into believing she would prevent a Netanyahu government. Livni is out of office, but the party is now in Netanyahu’s lap. If Kadima was looking at 10 seats before Mofaz’s latest schtick, it has now sunk near the level of Ehud Barak’s Atzmaut party (which polls at zero seats).

Dr. Yuval Dror, a widely-read Israeli blogger, wrote:

מופז הוא ג'לי פוליטי: חסר צורה, חסר טעם, ריח או עמוד שדרה, תוצר של יועצים פוליטיים השמים בפיו משפטים ועמדות. הוא האפס הפוליטי המוחלט.
ב-2 לפנות בוקר, כנחש מתחת לקש, חתם האפס הפוליטי המוחלט על עסקה עם אותו שקרן כדי לקבל משרת שר ללא תיק, כדי להציל את עורו ואת עור חבריו ולתת להם עוד שנה וחצי ממנעמי השלטון. כניסתו של מופז לממשלה הפכה את ממשלת ישראל לממשלה הכי צינית בתולדותיה…

Mofaz is a political jello: shapeless, tasteless, spineless, a product of political advisers who put words in his mouth and tell him which positions to take. He is the complete political zero [meaning: worthless, pathetic].
At 2 AM, like a snake coming from under the hay, this complete political zero signed a deal with the same liar [Mofaz recently called Netanyahu a liar] to get the position of a Minister Without a Portfolio, to save his skin and the skin of his friends [Kadima members of the Knesset] and give them another year and a half of the benefits of government. The entry of Mofaz into the Government of Israel has made it the most cynical government in its history…

Amir Schiby posted this altered campaign banner for Mofaz, which in a few hours was shared on Facebook over 1,500 times:

Mock campaign banner. Image posted by Amir Schiby on Facebook.

The text reads:

Mofaz. Because everyone can piss from the springboard [Israeli saying that means showing complete disregard]. Shitting from it [on the public] is art.

Minister's chair. Image posted by Gil Osser on Facebook.

Gil Osser posted an image of a chair, with the text:

An unprecedented sale for members of the Kadima party:

Minister's Chair*

An orthopedic chair made of elephant skin, particularly suitable for the spineless. The chair moves forward [Kadima], backward, right and left and can be found in various colors.

Price: Principles | Payment method: 15 months [the length of time this government will remain in power thanks to the deal]

*The same model sold to members of HaAtzmaut Party in 2011.

Noy Alooshe, the Israeli musician behind Gaddafi's “Zenga Zenga” remix, produced a new remix of footage in which Mofaz proclaims Netanyahu is a liar:

While the overwhelming majority of reactions online were negative, blogger Tal Yaron disagreed. Yaron mentioned the agreement between Mofaz and Netanyahu, which stipulates that the new coalition will pass a law to draft the ultra-Orthodox to military/community service (which they're currently exempt from) and to institute changes in Israel's electoral system:

רבים מגנים את השינוי, אך אם אכן יקוימו שתי הבטחות אלו בלבד, הרי שהדבר יביא לשינוי משמעותי בחברה הישראלית. בעקבות הקואליציה החדשה שנוצרה, יש כיום רוב לגיוס חרדים. הליכוד+ישראל ביתינו+קדימה מהווים קואליציה של לפחות 70 חברי כנסת שיוכלו להעביר את החוק.
גם העברת חוק שינוי שיטת הבחירות יטיב עם מצבה של ישראל, בכך שיביא להקטנת כמות המפלגות המשתתפות במשחק הפוליטי ויגרום למירכוז השיח הפוליטי, להגברת המשילות ולהקטנת ההקצנה.

Many condemn this change, but even if only these two promises are kept, they will result in a significant change in Israeli society. As a result of the newly formed coalition, there is not a majority to enlist the ultra-Orthodox. Likud plus Yisrael Beiteinu [Lieberman's party] plus Kadima form a coalition of at least 70 members of the Knesset who can pass this law.
Changing Israel's electoral system will also improve Israel's situation, by reducing the number of political parties and centralizing the political discourse in Israel, increasing the ability to govern and reducing extremism.

India: Online Cartoon Exhibition Protesting Repression

Rezwan — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:43:06 +0000

The arrest of Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor of Jadavpur University, for circulating West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees's cartoon has enraged many online activists. A cartoon exhibition protesting her acts is available online.

Belgium: Video Shows Campaign to Curb Texting and Driving

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:43:43 +0000

The Impossible texting and driving test is part of a campaign to raise awareness to the dangers of texting using mobile devices while driving in Belgium. Several young people doing their behind the wheel driving test were surprised to know there was a new test section requiring them to text while driving. The dashboard cam tells the story of how these young people faced this new part of the test.

Lebanon: Demotivational Humour on Facebook

Thalia Rahme — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:48:02 +0000

Internet memes are just as popular in the Arab world as elsewhere. Recently a number of Facebook pages have been started about specifically Lebanese memes. In this post Global Voices interviews the creator of a page called “Demotivational Lebanon”.

Over a very short period of time Facebook pages with general themes such as “Lebanese Memes”, or more specific ones related to certain schools or universities, have become popular among Lebanese netizens. Global Voices has interviewed the creator of “Demotivational Lebanon: a demotivational page for demotivational country”, who identified himself as “Youssef R., a 29-year-old demotivated yet angry citizen of a pseudo-nation called Lebanon”.

We are all one team - against the Lebanese people!

Global Voices (GV): How did you come up with the idea for the page?

Youssef R (YR): Months before creating the page, I discovered a type of internet meme called demotivational posters and quickly became addicted to browsing and collecting this type of poster. Then I thought, why don’t I start creating my own? So I started creating demotivationals featuring Lebanese politicians, pop stars and even Miss Lebanon and posting them on my own Facebook wall. My friends liked them and congratulated me. Later on, I learned about a page called Lebanese Memes and decided to create my own page.

I started creating new posters and posting them on the page, which quickly attracted a large number of fans who admired my efforts. Before long I stopped limiting myself to the Demotivational Poster format and started creating and posting all types of internet memes, such as the infamous Rage Comics. The page started with jokes about politicians, but then I decided to stop featuring politicians, and to tackle political, social and economic problems. It was an opportunity for me to express my anger over everything that is wrong in Lebanon using dark humor.

I get my inspiration from daily life in Lebanon. There are countless topics to address because the country is in dire need of reform. It is a country that risks sliding into a sectarian war at any given second. So I’m trying to raise awareness or at least express my anger and frustration, which a lot of fellow citizens share.

Planning to buy a house in Beirut? Please tell me which bank you will rob.

GV: Do you take the photos and do the designs yourself?

YR: I simply use Google to search for photos. I don’t have designer skills. I create the unsophisticated designs using one or a mix of the following tools: the simple design software Paint, a website called ragemaker.net for creating the Rage Comics you see everywhere on Facebook lately, and other online meme generators.

Civil war is more comfy in pyjamas - the only lesson that the Lebanese learnt from the civil war.

GV: Do you interact with visitors to the page? Have any expressed dislike for your messages?

YR: When the focus was on political figures, users used to engage in heated clashes, each defending his/her political idol, and sometimes cursing the page or its creator, but when I stopped featuring political figures and focused on issues that concern all Lebanese, fights among the users stopped and they started cursing the politicians and the political system itself, the real reason behind Lebanon’s problems. I sometimes take part in discussions. However, it is clearly mentioned in the page’s description that the page does not monitor, censor or take responsibility for user comments. Simply because I don’t have time to monitor the huge amounts of comments, given that I’m the only admin for the page.

By the way, users are allowed to send me their own demotivationals and memes and I post the ones I find creative and funny on the page’s main wall. Until now I have created 90% of the posts and other users have created only 10%. I’m looking forward to seeing a bigger contribution from the users.

I know he will steal from me, but I vote for him because he is from my religious sect.

GV: Have you thought of going beyond just a Facebook page ?

YR: That would depend on the circumstances; right now I don’t have such plans. However, I’m promoting and supporting certain causes on my page, such as freedom of expression, and trying to stand in the face of any injustice. I'm sharing the calls for protests and action on the ground. For example, the Lebanese authorities have recently detained and interrogated activists and comedians over graffiti they sprayed on Beirut’s walls. I try as much as I can to highlight these cases, defend freedom of expression and support the activists.

I think the Lebanese suffer from the Stockholm Syndrome. The Lebanese need to raise their voices. The amount of injustice in the country is unbearable. Sectarianism is preventing a real revolution in this country. The Lebanese must liberate themselves from the sectarian enslavement. They must stop thinking as sheep. The revolution does not necessarily have to be violent, it can start in the mind of every Lebanese.

China: Kim Jong-Un Photoshop meme

Oiwan Lam — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:38:50 +0000

Michael Ardaiolo from Shanghaiist has collected a set of photoshop meme circulated via Weibo in China on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Kenya: Four Young African Men Stand Up to Hollywood Stereotypes

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:45:39 +0000

After watching a YouTube video by MamaHope featuring a 9 year old boy retelling the movie Commando, 4 young men from Kenya approached MamaHope wanting to make their own retelling of Hollywood movies: in their case, the stereotypes around how movies portray African men.

African Men. Hollywood Stereotypes was written by medical students Gabriel, Benard and Derrick; human resource management student Brian and MamaHope.

They said, “If people believed only what they saw in movies, they would think we are all warlords who love violence.” They, like Mama Hope, are tired of the over-sensationalized, one-dimensional depictions of African men and the white savior messaging that permeates our media. They wanted to tell their own stories instead, so we handed them the mic and they made this video.

France: The Presidential Election Through Foreign Eyes

Jenny Sin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:27:47 +0000

While the French are preparing to choose a president in the upcoming weeks, French voters overseas and the foreign online media have reacted as the first round poll came to an end. Some peculiarities of the French electoral process, such as the ban on posting polling estimations in the media before 8 pm on election day, were intensely debated.

Drawing of Petar Pismestrovic in Austria shared by @alissabernathy on Twitter

Ban on tweeting election results before 8pm, even abroad?

In France, Law No. 77-808 of July 17, 1977 on the publication and dissemination of opinion polls [fr] prohibits the broadcast of the first estimates, before 8pm. With the ubiquitous rise of publications online, this ruling quickly became problematic to implement. Tefy Andriamanana, from Madagascar, summarizes the complexity and challenges of applying this law [fr].

As lawyer and famed French blogger Master Eolas explains on his blog, this method should also apply to the publication by French surveys in the foreign media [fr]:

Notons qu’ainsi rédigée, la loi interdit de faire un rappel de l’évolution des intentions de vote des candidats après vingt heures mais avant minuit le jour du scrutin, même une fois les bureaux de vote fermés et les estimations proclamées. C’est une pure maladresse de rédaction, mais la loi est la loi, je fais confiance au parquet pour être ferme (..) Les article 113 du Code pénal posent les règles d’application de la loi pénale française dans l’espace (pas au sens de “Des cochons dans l’espace”, mais dans le sens de sa territorialité). Ces règles sont les suivantes : la loi pénale française s’applique à toute personne se trouvant sur le territoire français, quelle que soit sa nationalité. Une infraction est réputée commise en France dès lors qu’un de ses éléments constitutifs est commis en France. On assimile au territoire française les bateaux battant pavillon français et les aéronefs immatriculés en France (article 113-4). Quand les faits sont commis à l’étranger, la loi française peut leur être applicable, à certaines conditions. Sans rentrer dans les détails, qui feront les tortures des étudiants de L2 de droit, la loi pénale française s’applique à l’étranger quand l’auteur est français, ET, condition cumulative, que les faits constituent un crime…

Note that written as it is, the law prohibits an overview of the evolution of the candidates' voting intentions after 8pm, but before midnight on polling day, even after the polls are closed and the estimates are proclaimed. This is pure awkwardness of writing, but the law is the law, and I trust the prosecutor to be firm (..)Article 113 of the Penal Code [fr] sets forth the implementing rules of French criminal law in the area (not in the sense of “Pigs in Space” [fr], but in the sense of its territoriality). These rules are: French criminal law applies to any person on French territory, whatever their nationality. An offense is considered to be committed in France as long as one of its constituent elements is committed in France (Article 113-4 [fr]). When the acts are committed abroad, French law can be applicable to them, under certain conditions. Without going into details, which will torture L2 law students, French criminal law applies abroad when the author is French, AND, cumulative condition, when the acts constitute a crime…

Many French abroad are surprised at this law and ask what would constitute a violation of this law. Paul asks [fr]:

créer un compte twitter qui vous envoie automatiquement les résultats (en avant-première) en DM n’est donc pas délictueux, puisqu’on reste dans la communication privée ?

Should the creation of a Twitter account, that automatically sends you the results (advance access) in DM, constitute a crime since it remains in private communication?

Joe poses the following hypothesis [fr]:

..Un agent provocateur Bordure, depuis son ordinateur de Szohôd (donc en Bordurie) décide de poster à 18h30 les premières estimations qu’il aura entendues à la radio Syldave sur un forum public, par exemple dans les réactions du blog d’un célèbre avocat blogueur Français…

L’agent Bordure ne risque rien (si j’ai bien compris la démonstration du Maître), mais est-ce que le responsable Français du forum peut être inquiété ?

An agent provocateur from Borduria (ed's note: made up country), since his Szohôd computer (thus in Borduria) decides to post, at 6:30pm, the first estimates that he will have heard on the Syldave radio on a public forum, for example in the reactions of the blog of a famous French lawyer blogger…The Bordurian agent does not risk anything (if I fully-understood the Master's demonstration), but is it the head of the French forum who may be worried?

Campaign Poster by JC Benoist on Wikimedia CC License -3.0-BY

Foreign internet users find that French law is rigid and outdated. Trésor Kibungala, a native of DR Congo blogs on North Africa [fr]:

Seulement voilà, depuis 1977, les choses ont changé. Les nouveaux médias sont arrivés et cette loi paraît inadaptée à la nouvelle donne. Déjà, les pays voisins de l’Hexagone ne se priveront pas de rendre public les résultats de la présidentielle française avant la messe de 20 heures. RTBF par exemple a déjà annoncé qu’elle dévoilera les résultats du scrutin à 18 heures 30 (..) Sur les réseaux sociaux, pas sûr non plus que les twittos obtempèrent. Certains ont commencé à mettre en place le dispositif Radio Londres. Une chose est sûre : on va bien rigoler ce dimanche sur twitter, facebook et autres. Mais, chut !@Tresor_k ne tweetera pas non plus les résultats avant 20 heures ! Rendez-vous sur les ondes de #RadioLondres.

The only problem is that, since 1977, things have changed. The new media have arrived and this law seems inadequate to the new circumstances. Already, the neighbouring countries of the Hexagon do not shy away from publicizing the French presidential elections results before the 8 o'clock mass. RTBF, for example, has already announced it will disclose the poll results at 6:30pm (..) On social networks, it is uncertain whether the Twittos will obey. Some have begun to set up the Radio Londres system [fr]. One thing is certain: we will have a good laugh this Sunday on Twitter, Facebook, and other websites. But, hush! @Tresor_k [fr] will not tweet the results before 8pm! Visit #RadioLondres.

Thus, Radio Londres, is the common thread on Twitter to comment on the elections in coded language without the risk of breaking the law. Radio Londres refers to a few minutes of daily program broadcast [fr] on British radio, BBC, to the first resistance fighters who had fled the German occupation entitled “The French Speaking to the French” [fr]. The meanings of the coded messages used during the resistance [fr] can be found on doctsf.com, including the famous “Wound my heart with a monotonous languor,” which announced the landing.

International issues in the French elections

Foreign media watch the the elections in France with great interest and respond to the 1977 Act. Jean-François Munster in Belgium does not understand [fr] why we still have this measure, he says:

Une loi complètement obsolète à l’heure d’internet et des réseaux sociaux et qui profite aux médias étrangers, dont Le Soir, qui diffusent les premières estimations sur leur site internet dès qu’elles sont disponibles – à partir de 18h45 – alors que les médias français doivent rester muets. (..) Les médias (français) respecteront la loi. Cela ne les empêche pas de dire tout le mal qu’ils en pensent. « Cette loi est ubuesque sur le fond, dénonce Thierry Thuillier. Aujourd’hui, une information produite est une information diffusée. Il faudra impérativement la dépoussiérer ».

A completely archaic law in today's internet and social network era, and benefits foreign media, including Le Soir, which broadcasts the first estimates on their website as soon as they become available - from 6:45pm - while the French media must remain silent. (..) The (French) media will obey the law. This does not prevent them from saying all the bad things that they associate with it. “This legislation is ludicrous on its merits, denounces Thierry Thuillier. Today, generated information is disseminated information. It will be essential to bring it up to date.”

However, it could be that foreign media are prosecuted for any distribution that violates French law. Boris Mahenti reports that [fr]:

La Commission de contrôle va plus loin et menace de poursuivre les médias belges et suisses qui diffuseront les résultats de la présidentielle dès 18 heures. “Si une information est diffusée sur le territoire français, alors le média tombe sous le coup de la loi française. Les médias belges et suisses sont susceptibles de poursuites.”

The Audit Board goes further and threatens to sue the Belgian and Swiss media that will disseminate the presidential elections results as early as 6pm. “If information is circulated in French territory, then the media is punishable under French law. Belgian and Swiss media are subject to prosecution.”

Presidential campaign in Antananarivo by the French Legislative from Abroad on Facebook

The African continent did not dwell on the controversy of the dissemination of poll results prior to 8pm, rather, it focuses on the election results' long term consequences for the continent. In Kenya, Global Voices translator [fr] Laila, is excited to be able to vote in Nairobi, Kenya:

@hardcorekancil: Bureau de vote de Nairobi: A 10h30, plus de 100 électeurs avaient déjà voté. Le bureau est ouvert de 8h à 18h. #présidentielle2012

@hardcorekancil [fr]: Nairobi's polling station: At 10:30, more than 100 voters had already voted. The office is open from 8AM to 6pm. #présidentielle2012

In Madagascar, the candidates' campaigns were going door to door. Legislative French from Abroad's Facebook profile says [fr]:

La démarche du porte à porte est inédite à Madagascar. Nous avons suivi une équipe en campagne vers Ivato puis à Tsaralalana. L’accueil est réceptif. Les franco-malgaches sont d’abord surpris puis ravis que l’on s’intéresse à eux et que l’on prenne le soin de venir chez eux pour leur parler et les inviter à une réunion de quartier..

The door to door approach is unheard of in Madagascar. We followed a campaign team to Ivato, then to Tsaralalana. The host is responsive. The Franco-Malagasy are surprised at first, then delighted that we are interested in them and that we take the time to come to their homes to talk to them and to invite them to a neighborhood meeting..

In Ivory Coast, Théodore Kouadio takes the pulse of Franco-Ivorian voters. He reports some voters' voting intentions [fr]:

« Moi, j’ai l’habitude de voter socialiste, car ce sont eux qui sont sensible à la cause des minorités en France. Mais surtout à la situation des noirs. Mais je vais voter Sarkozy », explique Cissé Mamadou, un sexagénaire. Pour lui, c’est sa manière à lui de merci à Nicolas Sarkozy pour son implication dans la résolution dans la crise post-électorale en Côte d’Ivoire, qui a fait 3000 morts officiellement. Noel Koffi, installé dans la zone depuis 2 ans, mais de nationalité française est du même avis. Pour lui, ce serait une bonne chose que le Nicolas puisse rester au pouvoir pour accompagner les autorités ivoiriennes dans la reconstruction et dans le processus de réconciliation nationale.Dan Emmanuel, lui est alarmiste. Il pense qu’une défaite de Nicolas Sarkozy au soir du 7 Mai va être catastrophique pour le gouvernement ivoirien en place.

“I'm used to voting socialist because they are sensitive to the cause of the minorities in France. But especially to the situation of the black community. But I am going to vote for Sarkozy,” said Cissé Mamadou, a man in his sixties. For him, it is his way of saying thank you to Nicolas Sarkozy for his involvement in the resolution in the post-election violence in Ivory Coast, which resulted in an official death toll of 3,000. Noel Koffi, who has been living in the area for two years, but of French nationality, agrees. For him, it would be good if Nicolas could remain in power to accompany the Ivorian authorities in the reconstruction and process of national reconciliation. Dan Emmanuel is fearmongering. He thinks that a defeat of Nicolas Sarkozy on the evening of May 7th is going to be catastrophic for the Ivorian government in place.

Geostratégie publishes an interview with Charlotte Sawyer [fr] entitled “From France-Africa to France without Africa” and conversely she affirms:

L’Afrique a, surtout, appris une chose : qu’on ne pouvait plus faire confiance aux Français, devenus détrousseurs de grands chemins et grande compagnie. Enfin, à peu près tout ce qu’on voudra, sauf l’ami et le protecteur dont rêvaient encore certaines capitales africaines.(..) Demandez donc aux Maliens ce que vaut l’égide française ? Quant aux Ivoiriens, beaucoup se demandent ce que vous avez fichu dans leur capitale..

Africa has, above all, learned one thing: that we could no longer trust the French, who became highway robbers for large companies. Finally, they became almost anything you want, except the friend and protector that some African nations were hoping for (..) So ask Malians what's the use of being under the good grace of France ? As for the Ivorians, many wonder what were your mandate for intervention in their capital city..

Finally in Germany, Daniel Dagan gathers some funny German cartoons [de] on the French presidential elections.

France: #RadioLondres, Election Day Fun and Dissidence on Twitter

Claire Ulrich — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:19:24 +0000

Occasions to laugh or smile have been few and far between during the current French presidential election campaign, which has been obsessed with recession, unemployment, xenophobia. But today, April 22, 2012, as French voters elect two runner-up among ten candidates, they are finally having electoral fun on Twitter under the hashtag #RadioLondres [all links in French].

The ten French presidential candidates, with their

The French electoral code enforces a Euro 75,000 (US $99,000) fine for violation of the confidentiality of the results and has dispatched 10 official “censors” to monitor the Web and enforce the ban until the official result time, 8 PM local time (GMT+1), despite the fact that neighbouring countries Switzerland and Belgium can communicate preliminary results whenever they please online.

The ban unleashed a mischievous hashtag on French language Twitter: #RadioLondres.

Netizens are having a field day tweeting insider news and fantasy results via secret codes and riddles, as the French Resistance daily radio used to do from London during World War II to coordinate sabotages and secret operations.

On 18 April, Guillaume on Twitter was among the first to set the rules of this game:

@Guillaumechampaud: On va se faire un code. “Le flan est au four” ça veut dire Hollande au 2nd tour. “La tomate est mûre”, ça veut dire Mélenchon.

@Guillaumechampaud: We will invent a code. “The flan (custard tart) is in the oven” means Hollande is in for the final election. “The tomato is ripe” means Mélenchon is.

Soon after, a mysterious tweet appeared, and was widely retweeted.

@xfrison: Les talonnettes sont dans les cartons. Je répète, les talonnettes sont dans les cartons #radiolondres

@xfrison: Heelpieces are in the moving crates. I repeat, heelpieces are in the moving crates. #radiolondres

Guessing when Sarkozy is concerned - as in this tweet - is easy for the French: they know their president's minute stature, his taste for Rolex watches, yachts, and his Hungarian origin.

The socialist contender, François Hollande (his surname means “Netherlands” in French) is often linked to cheese-based riddles, to a pedal boat (in reference to a snide comment made by another candidate, Mélenchon, on Hollande's campaign), or to a French brand of custard, Flanby.

Marine le Pen, the extreme right candidate, can be identified as “The Flame” (her party logo) or allusions to Brittany (her family region) and fish.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a far left candidate, has very “red” nicknames, such as “cherry” or “redbreasted robin”.

On Twitter, Gabriel is pushing his candidate:

Gabriel_Hussy">@Gabriel_Hussy: #radiolondres Le pédalo remonte le fleuve, je répète le pédalo remonte le fleuve…

@Gabriel_Hussy: The pedal boat is progressing upstream. I repeat. The pedal boat is progressing upstream.

Some call on wine buffs culture, linking candidates to their native region:

@Borislaffargue: #RadioLondres A l'heure de l'apéritif! Malibu Orange (29%/vol), Kir Royal (21%/vol), Beaujolais (18%/vol), Schnaps (16%/vol), Jurançon (8%)

@Borislaffargue: #RadioLondres At the cocktail hour! Malibu Orange [color of Hollande's campaign] (29%/vol), Kir Royal (21%/vol), Beaujolais (18%/vol), Schnaps (16%/vol), Jurançon (8%) [centrist candidate Bayrou]

Frederic tuned in on Twitter from the French Caribbean, where voters voted ahead of France:

@FredericHelbert: sous les cocotiers, ou ds la franz lointaine, la température atteint les 30 à 40° degrés sur baromètre des pays-bas..#RadioLondres

@FredericHelbert: under the coconut trees, in the far-away France, temperatures reach 30 to 40° degrees Celsius on the barometers of The Netherlands…#RadioLondres

Zineb dishes culinary tips:

@Zineb_borja: #RadioLondres Mes voisins qui aiment les frites viennent de me dire que le fromage est le meilleur suivi du goulasch.

@Zineb_Borja: My neighbours who like French fries tell me that cheese is at its best when served before gulasch

Cyril has wardrobe access:

@Cestsidoux Le nain chausse toujours du 26. Je repete, le nain chausse toujours du 26

@Cestsidoux: The midget's shoe size is still 26. I repeat, the midget's shoe-size is still 26.

A Flanby custard container:

Rafik is cautious about Hollande's chances in the second round, on 6 May:

@RafikSmati: Flanby expiration date is 5/5

Olivier is nearly worried by the craze:

@Luisetti: Twitter surchauffe le TweetWall Pro l'hashtag #radiolondres produit 62000 tweets/mn exposés à 18600000 followers-

@Luisetti: Twitter is overheating TweetWall Pro, hashtag #radiolondres produces 62,000 tweets/min shown to 1,860,0000 followers

And Jibinho spares a thought for the official “censors”, on duty until 8 PM:

@Jibinho Une pensée émue pour les 10 censeurs chargés de surveiller la toile jusqu'à 20h. #radiolondres

@Jibinho: A compassionate thought for the 10 censors in charge of monitoring the Net until 8PM #radiolondres

Russia: Astrakhan in Turmoil

Rikki Brown — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:44:22 +0000

Alexander Alyimov is the director of a self-created PR firm, Tochka Otsheta, and one of the most popular youth bloggers [ru] in Astrakhan. He can often be seen with Igor ‘Astranin,' the local leader of Nashi. Astranin is also a popular local blogger [ru], whose election-season activism included a visit [ru] to Moscow to attend pro-United Russia rallies last December.

Both bloggers have remained closely connected to politics, and Alyimov attended both pro-Kremlin and opposition demonstrations in February. Defending one pro-Putin rally, Alyimov wrote [ru]:

Митинг организовали профсоюзы, ожидаемых сгонений всех и вся на митинг не случилось. Оно и понятно, ведь чиновники не имели к нему никакого отношения.

The demonstration was organized by unions, and the expected forced attendance did not occur. That's understandable, since bureaucrats had nothing to do with it.

Alyimov gave a speech at the same rally, describing a recent encounter with, as he explained it, a rather unfortunate soul:

[…] общался с одним “оппозиционером” в жж и спросил его, что они планируют. Он ответил, что надо сметать власть. А что будет когда сметем? спросил я. И мне ответили,потом разберемся, а пока будет временный президент. Так вот я против такого подхода. Такое “потом разберемся” уже было. Оппозиция прежде чем звать нас на баррикады должна точно знать куда нас поведет. Иначе все может обернуться очень плохо. Есть гражданское общество, нет достойных лидеров в оппозиции. И поэтому я поддержу на этих выборах Путина. Хоть я постоянно и борюсь с прооизволом чиновников, я не хочу рисковать страной ради таких лидеров “оппозиции”.

[…] I just talked with a member of the ‘opposition' on LiveJournal and asked him what they were planning. He answered that the time has come to push aside the authorities. ‘And what will happen once they're swept away?' I asked. And he answered that they would figure it out later, while a interim president served. I’m against such an approach. We've already had a ‘we'll figure it out later' experience. Before calling us to the barricades, the opposition should know where its leading us. Otherwise, everything could turn out very badly. Russian civil society exists, [but] there are no worthy leaders in the opposition. That's why I am supporting Putin in these elections. Even though I constantly struggle against the tyranny of state officials, I don't want to risk the country for the sake of such ‘opposition' leaders.

Alyimov noted the low attendance at opposition protests, estimating that about half of the people who came were politicians. His blog post ends with the following emphatic denunciation:

Вы спросите почему так мало людей вышло “против” и почему очень мнгого тех кто недавно был “Против” пришли на митинг “ЗА”? Причина в лидерах, которые выводят людей на улицу. Слишком мало доверя им в современном обществе.

You ask why so few people showed up to “PROTEST” and why so many, who not long ago attended the opposition rallies, have now turned out to “SUPPORT” [Putin]? The reason lies in the leaders who bring people out into the streets. Modern society has too little trust in them.

From apathy to awareness?

Navalny with a local student in Astrakhan, Russia. (14/5/2012). Photo by Anastasiya Simonenko. (Used with permission from author.)

April 10 brought unexpected change to Astrakhan: activism, famous Moscow politicians, and sizable rallies. The commentary on VKontakte [ru] was mixed:

Ничего особенного! голодовка-провокация! Шеин ничем не лучше Столярова […] вообщем шило на мыло менять нет смысла.

No big deal! This hunger strike is a provocation! Shein is no better than Stoliarov […] Trading one trouble for another makes no sense!

Шеин - лучше Столярова. Факт. Но голодовка - бессмысленна. Она ничего не изменит.

Shein is better than Stoliarov — it's a fact. But a hunger strike is pointless. It won't change anything.

Такого митинга никогда не было! За нами следит вся страна и к субботе будет много иногородних.

We've never before had this kind of protest! The entire country is watching us and this Saturday there will be many Russians from other towns and cities!

An Astrakhan pro-Shein group has grown on Vkontakte, as well, with people offering their homes to visitors in town for the demonstrations.

The VKontakte backlash

Banner in support of Oleg Shein in Astrakhan, Russia. (14/4/2012) An anonymous image widely circulated online and throughout the city.

As commentary posted to VKontakte grew more intense, cynical Internet memes appeared mocking the arrival of Muscovites in Astrakhan, implying foolish or sinister plots in the works. The complaints often targeted Aleksei Navalny, alleging a foreign infiltration of Astrakhan by outsider activists and politicians.

One typical post [ru] read:

У нас в Астрахани москвичи кричат: “Это наш город” […] жесть […]

Here in Astrakhan Muscovites are crying, “This is our city!” […] what a joke […]

A number of image macros and Photoshops also appeared, often ridiculing the arrival of “the Muscovites,” as well as deriding Oleg Shein for his hunger strike:

"You're not a mayor when you're hungry. Don't wait: have a Snickers." (14/4/2012) An anonymous image widely circulated online.

Muscovite American Pie Meme. (14/4/2012) An anonymous image widely circulated online.

Zhirinovsky Duma meme. (14/4/2012) An anonymous image widely circulated online.

In the first image above, Shein is implanted into a Snickers advertisement, encouraging him to break his hunger strike. In the next mockup, an advertisement for the latest American Pie film is transformed into “Astrakhanskii Pie: Reunion,” equating Muscovites' trek to Astrakhan with a fatuous high school reunion. Finally, we find an example of a popular Zhirinovski meme. This iteration alleges that Astrakhan's protests are an import from Moscow — and that locals do not attend: “There's Navalny. There's Udaltsov and Yashin. And Sobchak is flying in, too. But where are the Astrakantsi?”

Short anecdotes have also emerged, again mocking Shein's resort to a hunger strike. VKontakte user Vasily Kamaldinov published the following joke [ru]:

“Почему Шеин голодает?” ~А Вы его фамилии наоборот прочитайте.~

“I don't get it. Why is Shein starving himself?” ~Try reading his surname backwards.~

(A note to non-Russian speakers: “Shein” read backwards is “ni esh,” or “don't eat!”)

A more active activism

All week long, Navalny traveled around Astrkahan, encouraging locals to attend the April 14 rally and tweeting pictures as he met students, civil workers, and government employees. On the day of the demonstration, opposition leaders relied on social media to mobilize and coordinate protestors after police blocked off the square originally intended for the rally.

Technology, however, is not a panacea for Astrakhan's struggling opposition. Many in the city are still strangers to Internet technology, and remain equally unaware of both the Twittersphere and the political atmosphere. Traditional outreach efforts are still underway — the mid-April events were littered with the winter's signature white ribbons, and activists enthusiastically handed out buttons and flyers. Even a local night club added to the propaganda effort (as well as the confusion), by trying to use the April 14 protest as a marketing tactic.

Protest in Astrakhan, Russia. Masks depicting Astrakhan Mayor Stoliarov and Governor Bozhenov. (14/5/2012) Photo by Rikki Brown

Protest in Astrakhan, Russia (14/5/2012) Photo by Rikki Brown

“He's tired! Thievery, Promises, and Lies. On May 6, the Million Man March for honest government!” in Astrakhan, Russia. (14/5/2012). Photo by Rikki Brown

India: Administration Backlash over a Political Cartoon and it's Aftermath

Aparna Ray — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:58:59 +0000

The recent arrest of an university professor in West Bengal, India, over a humorous political cartoon has been met by stiff resistance and protest both online and offline. On his blog Pabitraspeaks, blogger Pabitra Mukhopadhyay discusses how the incident is another in a slew of recent incidents that have negatively impacted the image of the state's Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee.

Singapore: If We Launched the Rocket…

Kirsten Han — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:15:21 +0000

Following North Korea's reported failure to launch their rocket, a hashtag popped up on Twitter: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket.

In no time at all Singaporean tweeples began to contribute their observations of Singaporean culture and foibles.

Mr Brown refers to the expensive naming competitions Singapore had for the Budget Terminal and Marina Bay, which ended up in the two places being named the Budget Terminal and Marina Bay:

@mrbrown: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket The rocket would be named, after a million-dollar naming exercise, The Singapore Rocket.

@jeffcheong: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket & failed it will be known as air survey. Singapore never fail one. Like how ‘ponding' is used to cover ‘flood'.

@contrabandkarma: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket that failed, Lui Tuck Yew would say that breakdowns are unavoidable.

@dingneng: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket it would be near GE, so politicians can brag about it.

@kixes: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket that failed, @STcom's headline would read, “Min of Defense says Singapore Rocket good first effort”.

JohnnyBoy refers to Yam Ah Mee, who shot to fame after announcing the results of the 2011 General Elections:

@MrJohnHoHoHo: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket Yam Ah Mee will be the one to do the countdown.

@visakanv: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket we would have a cheesy song with hand-gestures, like YOG's Oh Yeah x3

@weizhu: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket Must get aunties to pat the launchpad first.

Adine refers to the Singaporean penchant for taking note of auspicious numbers so that they can bet on them in the lottery:

@axixe: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket people would be asking if it had a number plate.. For auspicious reasons.

These tweets from Singaporeans are just yet another example of the Singaporean aptitude for trolling, turning events and memorable quotes into memes for satire and amusement.

Russia: Ilya Varlamov, Omsk's Blogger-Mayor?

Kevin Rothrock — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:32:05 +0000

As the Moscow opposition adjusts to the reality of Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin, there are growing indications that the capital's activists and protesters are seeking to reestablish last winter's momentum by relocating their efforts to Russia's regions. In the last week, dozens if not hundreds of Muscovites have pilgrimaged to the southern city of Astrakhan, to support a local politician's hunger strike against last month's vote, which he claims was falsified. More than 1,500 miles to the northeast, in the city of Omsk, an activist group has arranged online primaries for opposition candidates to stand in the city's June mayoral election.

Going Digital

The virtual election is not new to the Russian opposition. In October 2010, tens of thousands of Internet users elected [ru] Aleksei Navalny to replace Yuri Luzhkov as mayor of Moscow. (Not an elected office, President Medvedev later appointed Sergei Sobyanin to serve in this position.) Navalny's virtual triumph that October was an important step to attaining the political celebrity he enjoys today.

In a LiveJournal post earlier this year, blogger Vladislav Naganov addressed the protest movement's collapse by advocating [ru] the adoption of primaries:

Generally speaking, the time has come to organize full-fledged primaries within the opposition. We can't continue as we have for much longer. We need to determine a real leader once and for all.

“Citizen Mayor” [ru] is a virtual primaries project initiated by activists in Omsk, designed to nominate a single individual to represent the city's united opposition. In a strange turn of events, photographer and popular blogger Ilya Varlamov has suddenly become the most likely winner of the “Citizen Mayor” contest, which will conclude its final round of voting [ru] on Monday, April 16.

The Joke That Has Fewer and Fewer Laughing

Russian blogger Ilya Varlamov in Moscow. Photo by VITALIY RAGULIN, (04/08/11) CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.

Varlamov's candidacy started as a joke [ru] on social networks like Twitter, producing a meme that typically began “if Varlamov becomes Omsk mayor,” and followed with a humorously optimistic comment. For instance, one user tweeted: “If Varlamov becomes Omsk mayor, we'll just secede from the state and organize a mini-paradise there.” Another young woman in St. Petersburg wrote: “If Varlamov becomes mayor of Omsk, I'll leave Peter[sburg] and return to my homeland [in Omsk].”

Initially, Varlamov admitted that he could not take his candidacy seriously, telling journalists on April 5:

First, because I've only been to Omsk once, and it was only for a couple of days, and to nominate [yourself] to be head of a city that you don't know is strange, to say the least. Second, I don't want to mix politics with some kind of performance, which the campaign could become if I participate.

Five days later, however, Varlamov announced a change of heart, admitting that his running for Omsk mayor is “at first glance, entirely absurd,” but he promised the public “the funnest, loudest campaign in the history of Russian mayoral races.” He wrote [ru] in his LJ blog:

We'll bring a new level of discussion to questions about government transparency and the urban environment of Russian cities. When we're done, our issues will be the main issues of every election across the country.

In lieu of an Omsk-tailored political platform, Varlamov directed readers to an April 3 post, titled “Ten Steps: Moscow for People,” which set out ten priorities for improving urban life in Russia's capital. (Varlamov's text focuses on improving public transit, bicycle and disabled access, architectural aesthetics, and so on.) Explaining the transposition of his Moscow initiative onto Omsk, Varlamov said:

Omsk is a small Moscow. Problems everywhere are the same. First we'll put things in order there, and then across all of Russia.

Varlamov also named a handful of individuals who will join his Omsk campaign, including the mega-popular LJ blogger Artemy Lebedev, who summed up [ru] the team's plan with a characteristic flourish of profanity:

The plan is simple: Varlamov becomes the mayor of Omsk (and not on fucking Foursquare, but for real), he brings his team with him, and some decent city management begins.

Lebedev then added:

Today, Omsk is one of the country's most fucked over cities.

Going into some detail, Lebedev went on to describe his plans for the architectural redesign of Omsk, listing various types of bureaucrats and buildings that would be slated for destruction, should Varlamov win the election. “The old farts,” he wrote about the city's existing government, “will be ousted in disgrace, and left to sell sunflower seeds outside the entrances of tomorrow's construction sites.”

Winners and Losers

While campaigns like Varlamov's in Omsk and Navalny's in Astrakhan might represent exciting new directions for Moscow's opposition movement, what consequences could this projection of influence have on local actors?

Igor Fedorov is one of Omsk's most popular locally-based bloggers. Six years before Ilya Varlamov was even born, Fedorov settled in Omsk, where he has lived ever since. Though he is unlikely to defeat Varlamov, Fedorov has posted to his LJ account a far more detailed campaign program [ru], including a sober analysis [ru] of municipal revenue prospects. (He notes that 84% of the city's budget relies on three taxes that legally cannot be raised until 2013.) While Fedorov proposes many ideas that mirror Varlamov's “10 Steps,” he breaks with the Muscovite photographer on several issues that seem to carry local significance, such as celebrations for the upcoming 300-year anniversary of Omsk's founding, as well as the need to balance public transportation development with the completion of construction already underway on automobile roads. In a particularly telling distinction, Varlamov promises to import foreign specialists from America and Europe to beautify Omsk, whereas Fedorov claims [ru] that the city's ideal model should be Pavlodar, Kazakhstan [en], which he “was lucky enough” to have visited on a business trip earlier this year.

In preliminary voting [ru], Fedorov led Varlamov in support on LiveJournal, though the latter finished well ahead in the overall tally. If Varlamov indeed takes the nomination and registers to campaign officially in Omsk, will it signal a victory for the democratic process and a second wind for the opposition, or could it threaten to make a mockery of both?

Spain: Christ Dances to Brazilian Pop Hit in Religious Procession

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:07:16 +0000

During the religious procession marking the end of the Christian Easter week in Alhama de Murcia, Spain, the image of the Resurrected Christ was struck by the Telomania, when the brotherhood carrying the image decided to play and dance to Michel Teló's international hit “Ai Se Eu Te Pego“.

The videos showing the parade appear in different Spanish media outlets and have been uploaded several times on YouTube, making it difficult to confirm the original source of the citizen made video. On La Opinión de Murcia [es]:

Los que pasearon esta Semana Santa por las calles de Alhama de Murcia se llevaron una buena sorpresa al ser testigos de un paso fuera de lo común, y es que el solemne ritmo que suele acompañar a las imágenes protagonistas cambió por uno más fiestero y desenfadado.

Those who during Easter Week walked through the streets of Alhama de Murcia had a great surprise when they witnessed a step out of the ordinary, and it was that the solemn rhythm that usually accompanies the main effigies changed for a more festive and carefree one.

Resucitó by Juan Carlos Guijarro Moreno CCBY

The songs played during the procession were the hit Brazilian pop song Ai Se Eu Te Pego (Oh If I Catch You) by Michel Teló and the Waka Waka song by Colombian singer Shakira.
The Brazilian export song has made its way around the world, as previously written about in Global Voices' article Brazil: Cultural Debate as ‘Oh if I Catch You' Song Goes Global and Ideal.es [es] of Granada in Spain, who wrote about the particular Easter Parade had this to add:

‘Ai se eu te pego‘ ataca de nuevo sin contemplaciones. Es la canción del momento y traspasa fronteras como podemos ver en Youtube. Michel Télo ha creado escuela. El caso es que el tema de las Navidades, de la primavera y, posiblemente, del verano se ha colado hasta en la Semana Santa. Es la fuerza de Ai se eu te pego. Hasta en un periodo de retiro, espiritualidad y devoción como éste, Michel Teló se ha abierto un hueco con su ‘Ai se eu te pego‘ y una cofradía de Alhama de Murcia ha decidido modernizarse e ir más allá de las marchas típicas y se ha lanzado a bailar a su Jesús Resucitado al ritmo de los pegadizos sones de la canción del brasileño.

‘Ai Se Eu Te Pego' attacks once again with no ceremony. It is the song of the moment and it crosses frontiers as we can see on Youtube. Miche Télo has created a following. The fact is that this Christmas hit, the Spring hit and possibly the Summer's hit has found its way to Easter Week. That is the strength of Ai Se Eu Te Pego. Even in a period of retreat, spirituality and devotion like this one, Michel Teló has made an opening with ‘Ai Se Eu Te Pego' and a brotherhood of Alhama of Murcia has decided to update themselves and go beyond the typical marches and have launched their Resurrected Christ to dance to the bubblegum rhythms of the Brazilian's song.

Although the brotherhood also made the image dance to the World Cup song the Waka Waka, made popular by Colombian singer Shakira, it is the video with Michel Teló's song that has become viral.

http://youtu.be/RsOVby_5ukg

Puerto Rico: Kike Estrada's Cartoons Live on the Internet

Louella Mahabir — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:50:06 +0000

Enrique “Kike” Estrada is a cartoonist of an endangered species in Puerto Rico. He is the kind of cartoonist who makes observations and humorous commentaries, caustic at times, about events and news in Puerto Rico. His work has been exhibited in Greece, Argentina, Serbia, Germany, the United States, and Puerto Rico. He has published at least two books of cartoons, but the best space to appreciate his work is through his web page www.planetakike.com [es].

He received me very warmly to talk about his caricatures and the Internet at his home, where he also has a graphic design studio and his own garden, from which he obtains the best possible quality of produce for his kitchen.

Kike started talking a little about how he chooses the themes that he develops for his drawings:

Kike Estrada

Kike Estrada (KE): Antes yo dibujaba todos los días reaccionando a las cosas que pasaban en Puerto Rico. […] Pues, ya yo no dibujo ese tipo de cosa. Hay un momento en donde pensé que en lugar de estar haciéndolo bien lo estaba haciendo mal porque era parte del ruido en vez de parte de las soluciones. Y entonces eso como que me alejó un poco del trabajo. Cuando lo he retomado ahora, pues, dibujo más de cosas que son muy pertinentes en Puerto Rico, pero trato de que sean pertinentes para no puertorriqueños; o sea, tratando de trabajar los asuntos en vez de las situaciones. […] Yo sé que habría una demanda por dibujar de lo específico del día, pero hay tanto ruido con respecto a esas cosas, que añadir ruido no es saludable.

(KE): Before I drew every day, reacting to the things that were happening in Puerto Rico. […] I don't draw like that anymore. There was a point when I thought that instead of doing good I was doing something bad because it was part of the noise instead of part of the solutions. And so, I stepped back a little from work. When I started again recently, I draw things that are more pertinent to Puerto Rico, but I try to make it not only relevant for Puerto Ricans; in other words, I try to work on issues instead of situations. [..] I know that there would be a demand for drawing about issues happening on a specific day, but there is so much noise regarding these issues, that adding to the noise isn't healthy.

But Kike didn't always draw cartoons. His creative capacity was mostly occupied with graphic design, and for a time he didn't work on caricatures at all:

"Another water increase?"

KE: ¿Tú sabes cuándo yo volví a dibujar caricaturas? Yo volví a dibujar caricaturas el día que le metieron los dos aviones a las Torres Gemelas. […] Yo puse el televisor. Cuando vi que un segundo avión le estaba dando a una torre, yo dije, “Se jodió el mundo. El mundo cambió hoy”. Y eso me causó una ansiedad tan cabrona, mano, que me puse a dibujar. […] Me volví loco dibujando. Y de ahí no he vuelto a parar.

KE: Do you know when I started drawing cartoons again? I returned drawing cartoons the day that the two planes crashed into the Twin Towers. […] I put on the television. When I saw the second plane crashing into a tower, I said, “The world is fucked. The world changed today.” And this gave me such a damn anxiety, man, that I started to draw. […] I went crazy drawing. And since then I never stopped.

For a cartoonist with his sense of humor, ironical and satirical, and his ability to broach and highlight the absurd side of the issues that affect Puerto Ricans, the Internet happens to be the perfect place to exhibit his work. In this space, as the sole editor, he found freedom to express his point of view, which otherwise would be almost impossible to express:

"Proportion…"

KE: Como yo soy diseñador gráfico, hubo un momento en donde empezamos a aprender Internet porque el mundo había cambiado, y los clientes que antes yo tenía que hacían anuncios de prensa o cosas, pues todos ahora querían tener presencia en el Internet. Así que nosotros fuimos aprendiendo de eso. Y yo dije, “Bueno, pues yo voy a hacer una página de mi trabajo”. Y ha sido bien chévere porque no es censurable. O sea, yo hago lo que yo quiero hacer ahí, y digo lo que yo quiero decir ahí.

KE: Since I am a graphic designer, there was a time when we started learning about the Internet because the world was changing, and the clients that I had before that did news advertisements and things like that, all wanted a presence on the Internet. So we started to learn. And I said, “Okay, so I'm going to create a webpage for my work.” And it has been great because nobody can censor it. I mean, I can do what I want there, and say what I want.

However, Kike doesn't see himself as someone who has mastered the art of drawing cartoons. According to him, his contribution lies not so much in the quality of his drawings, but in the message he tries to send:

"How many more?"

KE: Yo soy miembro de la Asociación de Caricaturistas [de Puerto Rico]. Ahí hay unos chamacos jóvenes que son unos virtuosos, mano […] En el caso mío, yo no soy un virtuoso. Yo soy en todo caso un dibujante como sui generis. Yo no dibujo bien. Yo dibujo mal. Lo que pasa es que ya desarrollé una forma de dibujar mal que me gusta cómo se ve.

KE: I am a member of the Association of Cartoonists [of Puerto Rico]. There are some young kids there who are geniuses, man. [_] In my case, I'm no genius. I'm a sui generis sort of artist. I don't draw well. I draw badly. It's just that I developed a bad drawing style that I like how it looks.

On the cartoonists trade in journalism and how it has gradually disappeared in many newspapers in Puerto Rico, he thinks:

KE: Yo creo que los periódicos han ido prescindiendo de los servicios de los caricaturistas porque los caricaturistas pueden herirte más que una foto.

KE: I think that newspapers have done without the services of cartoonists because cartoons can hurt more than a photograph.

Kike sees the Internet as as an important resource for cartoonists. For him, the Internet is among the greatest inventions ever created. He marvels at the possibilities it can offer. Thanks to the Internet, cartoons can survive despite its disappearance from traditional spaces in the newspapers. Furthermore, the Internet eliminates the filter that news goes through before it hits the presses. But the benefits of the Internet are not only for cartoonists:

"My electoral proposal"

KE: El Internet ha sido bien bueno porque le ha dado voz al que no tenía voz. ¿Cómo carajo yo hubiera podido dar a conocer mis dibujos si no existiera el Internet? Tendría un paquete de dibujos ahí que nadie hubiera visto porque no había salida; el Internet te da la salida. Y por eso es que hay que enseñarle a todo el mundo el Internet. Hay que enseñarlos a que programen páginas y a que diseñen sus propias cosas y que después digan los disparates que les dé la gana de decir, o que hagan las genialidades que les dé la gana de hacer, pero que la gente tenga la opción de agarrarse del Internet como el medio más accesible que tenemos.

KE: The Internet has been good because it has given a voice to many people. How the hell could I have made my cartoons known if the Internet did not exist? I had a portfolio of drawings that no one could ever have seen because there was no way to release it; the Internet gives you a way. And for this reason, everyone should be able to learn about the Internet. People have to be taught how to program and design, and say all the silly things they feel like saying, or all the cool ideas that they feel like creating. But what is important is that people should be able to to hold onto the Internet as the most accessible medium that we all have.

All images have been published with permission.