Global Voices » Ideas

Cuba: Another Brick in the Wall?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:07:27 +0000

The whole process is managed and legitimated by a whole army of high-level psychologists and pedagogues in the name of the common Good.

Erasmo Calzadilla blogs at Havana Times about the state of education in Cuba.

Iranians in Canada Cast Symbolic Votes Days Before Election

Farid — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:00:21 +0000

“I vote”

Iranians in Canada will not be able to vote in Iran's presidential election on June 14, 2103, but thanks to an initiative [fa] by a group of Iranian expatriates they were at least able to cast a symbolic ballot. At four polling stations in different parts of Toronto, Iranians were able to register who they would have voted for. Social media was useful for organizing the activity, but as Arash Kamangir, a Toronto-based blogger and civil society activist says in this interview with Global Voices, the goal was to encourage face to face political conversations between Iranians in the real world.

Global Voices: Who are you and what did you plan to do?

Arash Kamangir: We are a group of Iranians in Toronto and we do not necessarily have the same points of view on all issues related to Iran, but we obviously have many similar perspectives. One of the points on which all of us have an agreement is that change only happens when people request it and participate in the process of delivering it. We believe that boycotting an election is a convenient, and maybe a romantic and idealistic approach, but nevertheless, in order to be able to be a part of the solution individuals must use their right to vote.

We wanted to raise awareness on the importance of participation in the political process and also state our objection to the closure of the Iranian embassy in Ottawa. To our understanding the Iranian government and the Canadian government, both, are responsible for this outcome. Not only this incident has caused many hardships for the Iranian community in Canada, whom need consulate services for passports and other government-related items, but also, and more importantly, the fact that the Islamic Republic has no official presence on Canadian land has resulted in the loss of many opportunities. For example, the Canadian government was able to be a voice to push for respect for rights of individuals in prison and those being prosecuted in the past. When there was a physical consulate, we, the Iranian population of Canada, were able to engage with the Iranian mission. One of our goals in what we did was to remind and protest against the loss of these opportunities.

Symbolic Vote in Canada. Photo shared by Arash Kamangir.

How did you use social media and blogs for your purpose?

Everything started with a group message on Facebook, but we soon moved to the physical world, where we had our nightly meetings in a pub. We set up two Facebook pages, one for the organizers and one for the volunteers. We then set up a Facebook event to invite the public. We ended up inviting about 1,500 people to our event, and received 200 accepts. Our team was composed of 20 core people and about 10 volunteers. We communicated among ourselves using the two Facebook groups, Facebook messages, and also our cellphones. We also used Twitter to reach out to the general public of the web and used email to communicate with the media. One blogger in our team also blogged about the event. At the end, we collected about 500 votes in the three-day program.

How did the virtual world and the physical world meet in your initiative?

Well, there was a suggestion that we would set up the polling stations in the virtual world, or that we would at least have an online component. We said no to all of that, because we wanted to get engaged with the public in the physical world. The virtual world was essentially the means of communication and coordination for us. Everything else happened in the physical world. This helped us to reach individuals whom we would have not been able to get in touch with, if we had stayed in the confinement of the virtual world.

We set up our four polling stations in locations where Iranians frequent. We had one close to University of Toronto, another one close to a big Iranian shopping area, and the next in a square in the Iranian quarter of Toronto. This helped us to talk to Iranians from different walks of life, diverse backgrounds, and different political and social views. We gave the attendees a physical ballet and had a conversation with them, sometimes a long one. One of the points that our group had explicit agreement on was that online tools are absolutely necessary in this time and age, but that, nevertheless, human connection happens in the physical realm. We wanted people, not avatars, and thus we went to the physical world.

Bangladesh's Capital City Dhaka Gets Its First Bus Map

Pantha Rahman Reza — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:29:16 +0000

Commuters who take the bus Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka, home to 15 million people and very heavy traffic, can for the first time look at a map to plan their route.

Social-venture group Urban Launchpad, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Bangladeshi advocacy organization Kewkradong have released an alpha version of a bus map of Dhaka available on paper and online. The first 5,000 alpha paper versions of the map were handed to the city locals on 5 June, 2013.

To map the city, the project, which was launched in January 2012, deployed a flock of smartphone-armed volunteers to rapidly collect data on Dhaka’s bus system. They tracked buses on different routes and collected people’s opinions. But don't call it crowdsourcing — the team has coined the term flocksourcing (flocks + mobiles) to describe the rapid collection of urban data.

Huge traffic of Dhaka city. Photo Firoz Ahmed. Copyright Demotix

The group used crowd-funding website Kickstarter to fund the alpha version, which has a current accuracy of up to 75 percent. The team aims for the next version of the map to have 95 percent accuracy.

The map's introduction earned much fanfare on Twitter. Filmmaker Mizanur Rahman (@MadLungiFilmz) wrote:

@MadLungiFilmz: This is godsend for a public transport freak like me! :D Great initiative by the folks at first bus map of Dhaka. http://fb.me/1KIhOXJHg

Jacqueline M Klopp (@jmklopp1), a self-declared “urbanista”, praised the map:

@jmklopp1: Very cool-First Bus Map of Dhaka. kck.st/RDQi5N via @kickstarter

A bus rider checking the bus map. Photo by Nazim Uddin Khan Prince/Urban Launchpad. Used with permission

Writer and blogger Mamun M Aziz writes [bn] in Somewherein:

ঢাকায় বাস সার্ভিসের অব্যবস্থাপনার শেষ নাই, এর উপর বাসস্টপের সুনির্দিষ্ট চিহ্ণিতকরণও সেভাবে করা নেই। ঢাকা শহরের পরিবহণ ব্যবস্থার অনেক সমিতি বা সংগঠন থাকলেও বাস রুট নেটওয়ার্ক ব্যবস্থা বেশ স্বাধীনও বটে। এইসব সমস্যা প্রথম বাস ম্যাপটি করতে গিয়ে সেচ্ছাসেবকদের নানান জটিলতায় পর্যবসিত হতে বাধ্য করেছে । তথাপি একটি সফল মানচিত্র তারা ঠিকই দাঁড় করাতে পেরেছে। মানচিত্রটির এক পাতায় রুট সমূহ চিত্রিত হয়েছে এবং অন্য পাতায় বাস এর নম্বর, কোম্পানী নাম এবং ছাড়ায় ও গন্তব্য স্থানের নাম আলাদা ভাবে চিহ্নিত করা হয়েছে।

There is abundance of mismanagement in Dhaka bus service. On top of it the Busstops are not clearly marked on map. There are many associations of private transport owners and they have a pretty flexible route network. All these had created a lot of problems for the volunteers to create the Bus map. But they managed to put together one. In one side of the map the route networks are printed and on the other side the bus company, number of buses and the points of departure and arrivals are listed separately.

As the project's crowdfunding campaign neared its end in January 2013, people on Twitter advertised their donations to the fund. Harry van der Velde (@harryzicht) called the map a product of “crowdpower” after he donated to the project's Kickstarter:

@harryzicht: Crowdpower! Visual, agile and cooperative. I just backed First Bus Map of Dhaka on @Kickstarter kck.st/RDQi5N

Entrepreneur Nash Islam (@nashislam) wrote about the potential impact of the map:

@nashislam: I just backed First Bus Map of Dhaka- a project that can have major impact on the city. See for yourself http://kck.st/RDQi5N

Jamaica: Children as Artists

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:12:42 +0000

The National Gallery of Jamaica Blog is excited about an upcoming exhibition of children's art, which will highlight “the children’s unique responses to questions about their curiosities and the diverse urges of their developing imaginations.”

“Give-a-Tree.rf”—Russia's Collective Reforestation Project

Andrey Tselikov — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 01:37:04 +0000

In a recent interview with Evgeny Voropai of Social Technologies Greenhouse, Sergey Skorobogadov, head of “Podari-Derevo.rf” [ru] (Give-a-Tree.rf) explained how a socially-conscious project can bring a profit and how quantitative indicators can stimulate activity in people.

E.V.: Sergey, you are the author of the “EcoChristmasTree” [ru] idea, and now you are involved with “Give-a-Tree.rf,” why such an interest towards greenery?

S.S.: The ideas of a clean environment and ecology are important to me. When you do something that is important to you, it finds you by itself. For several years I've been working with the separate waste collection theme, and I've gotten my family, relatives and friends onto it. I even organized separate waste collection in the apartment complex where I live. Now my neighbors also support the idea of separate waste collection.

As far as trees are concerned, this theme has constantly intersected with initiatives I observed or participated in. You can say that everything began with collecting recycling and trash in forests, then there was the whole thing with “EcoChristmasTrees.” Here we offered what seems to be a simple alternative to chopping down trees, we rented out live Christmas trees in pots, so that in the spring they could be planted in the ground, this is hugely important for forest and plant conservation. The holiday season is over, but the desire to continue with this theme remained. “Give-a-Tree.rf” is a logical continuation of that project.

A present of a tree — I think it doesn't get any better than this. Instead of trash and useless things that clutter up space, the users have an opportunity to give something useful.

E.V.: Forests are disappearing, and that's a fact, but land allotted forests is also disappearing. Hectares of forest get converted into cubic meters of lumber or square meters of “usable space.” How many trees should be planted each year to balance the number those chopped down?

Sergey Skorobagatov, Director of “Подари-Дерево.РФ”

S.S.: You know, I wouldn't name any numbers. There is a wire range of data, and they are all different, from different sources. Besides, I don't think that there are any objectives ways to assess the situation.

But it would be great if a person could plant two or three trees per year, on their own. This doesn't just pertain to Russia, but the world as a whole. This is important, because according to studies this is the amount of trees a single person “throws out” into the trash each year.

E.V.: “Give-a-Tree.rf” is part of the “A Billion Trees” program. Is it realistic to plant that many seedlings? Does Russia have space for this many plantings?

S.S.: “A Billion Trees” [ru] is a UN program which we have joined. It's a worldwide campaign that proves that the simple act of planting a tree elicits a response and unites people. This is precisely the solidarity that it is currently necessary to demonstrate on a national level everywhere.

“A Billion Trees” is a good reference point, a good goal. You understand, in what we do there is no end result, there is no end to this. So a billion is a number that is in front of you, it sets the necessary mechanisms in motion.

E.V.: Your project has many nuances that need to be taken into account when planting. There is the type of tree, the time and season of planting, the appropriate climate, type of soil, the natural landscape. Who is in charge of all that?

S.S.: This is probably the simplest stage of the work we do. “Give-a-Tree.rf” works with forestries, and foresters themselves recommend what, where, and how to plant. Because of lack of necessary resources, our project is of a special interest to them.

Somewhere a parasite destroyed some firs, somewhere else there was illegal clearing of oaks or a forest fire — all this isn't always solved by forester efforts. So, where possible, we join them. They help us with experience, we help them with reforestation. In urban ares we want to work under the motto “Where there is an empty lot – there will be a park.”

Now the project is active in Moscow, Moscow Region, St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region. We are thinking of starting to plant pines on the Baikal, we have how almost completed our technical preparations for that initiative. I am sure many Russians will find this interesting.

There is one more option, that for now exists only as an idea. The head of the “Save a tree” initiative, Nadya Tverdaya, who is also involved in the project, but who lives in Thailand, has suggested planting palms there.

E.V.: Remote planting of trees is a great example of online expansion into the offline world, a way of delegating. But volunteers don't go to plant trees after every online order. What are the mechanics of the whole process.

S.S.: We plant trees in the Fall and the Spring, but we sell the certificates year round. The users can choose to become a sponsor of a tree that we have already planted, or, if he so wishes, can participate in the next planting of seedlings.

It's all very simple. Volunteers plant trees, give them numbers, marking them with a corresponding sign, take the exact GPS coordinates, and all of these data are saved in the system. With the purchase of a certificate, the users receives a tree with an individual number, coordinates, photographs of the planting process, and a pretty personalized certificate, which can be printed out, framed, and hung up on a wall.

Screenshot of Подари-Дерево.РФ's interface.

E.V.: In your profile on “Give-a-Tree.rf” you write: “It is interesting to try to combine something that is practically incompatible — making a profit and good deeds.” Any luck? Is this an effective business model?

S.S.: You know, yes. We are happy with the results. Of course, like any start-up, “Give-a-Tree.rf” required certain expenditures. And so far the project isn't profitable. The good news is that the plantings are slowly starting to recoup themselves. I haven't analyzed it yet, but I think that on the last one we may have broken even.

E.V.: Is the motivation of people who bur or gift certificates important to you? How much of this is trendiness and entertainment, and how much is social responsibility?

S.S.: These days it's really trendy. To give a tree is cool. I think that these days trends are an effective motivator. This is why it is important for ecological stories to become popular.

We have been contacted by some commercial firms. People see a good initiative, see the potential, and want to participate. For them it is at the same time a good deed, and PR-stunt. It's great when the business sector starts to notice constructive stories. The benefit of the “green” topic is that it's close to the business sector, to political and social activists.

E.V.: “Give-a-Tree.rf” is a seasonal project, what do you plan to do during the winter, and will you come back to it next spring?

S.S.: The sale of certificates will take place year round. No one is planning to stop. As I've said, there are already planted trees, the task is to find owners for them. So there is no seasonality here.

The website will continue working in the same capacity in the late fall and winter, and early spring. The planting of trees takes places several times a year and take less time than running the website and serving our customers.

The interview was conducted by Yevgeny Voropai. May 2013. You can find the original [ru] interview on the Teplitsa of Social Technologies website.

Female Rapper to Speak at TEDxSão Tomé

Thiana Biondo — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:44:29 +0000

Marlene Bandeira, or as she is better known Nely Strong [pt], has been added to the TEDxSão Tomé [en] speaker line up. Rapper, she uses local slangs to portray São Tomé and Príncipe [en] society in her lyrics. Recently, Nely released the song ‘Mordomia’ – a hit in the islands – with the rapper Tigre T. The TEDxSão Tomé happens in 20 June, 2013 and is open for pre-registration [en] until this Monday.

Syrian Creativity: Radio SouriaLi Broadcasts over the Internet

Neil Sadler — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:38:36 +0000

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

Because “necessity is the mother of invention”, as the Arab saying goes, Syrians continue to devise creative and innovative solutions to the daily obstacles they face, despite extreme repression. Radio SouriaLi, formed by a group of young Syrians from diverse backgrounds, is one of the many projects and initiatives emerging from the need for expression and the attempt to reach out to all Syrians, regardless of their ethnic, intellectual and religious backgrounds.

The name “SouriaLi” comes from a play on the words “sourialia” (surrealism) and “Souria lee” (which translates to My Syria from Arabic) to combine awareness of Syria's chaotic present, that has become surreal, and the need for all Syrians to get involved in the building of their own Syria.

Souriali started broadcasting in October 2012 as an internet-based radio, in an attempt to bypass censorship and reach out to the largest number of Syrians, both within and outside the country, despite their limited resources.
The fact that the project is internet-based has not prevented those running it from facing constant challenges in order to continue to broadcast. Syrian authorities have repeatedly blocked their website inside Syria, including SouriaLi keywords on search engines, which has forced their audience to use circumvention technology to access their content. Additionally, as most of the SouriaLi team is within Syria, constant disruptions to power supply and internet connections make their daily work increasingly difficult.

Radio Souriali

None of the obstacles have stopped them from broadcasting. In the words of one of the founders:

“We speak so that we can breathe. We speak to everybody and we listen to everybody. We try to stay positive until the day comes when we become what we want to be.”

He adds:

“We believe that our problem is that we don't listen to each other. Our message isn't aimed at any one group over others, rather we try to reach every Syrian heart and especially those of the so called “silent majority”.

The Souriali team tries to address all the different groups that form the fabric of Syrian society, and to draw attention to a diversity of issues – from art, culture and traditions to women's rights and the rights of minorities such as the Kurdish people.

SouriaLi is one of the many steps on Syria's path to its dream of a country respectful of justice, freedom, and fundamental human rights.

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

The Kindest Peruvian Has Been Found

Gabriela García Calderón — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:25:20 +0000

Marisol Rodríguez Gamero, a 23-year old Law School student, won the contest “The kindest Peruvian” [es], an initiative to encourage Peruvians to relate to positive values and attitudes, highlighting their kindness towards tourists.

The contest, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, aimed to reward the Peruvian citizen that, with any remarkably kind action, contributed to a positive experience for a foreign or national tourist.

The website DePeru.com [es] summarized the contest's goals [es] and posted information:

[La Comisión de Promoción del Perú para la Exportación y el Turismo] PROMPERÚ realiza esta campaña con el cual pretende seguir incentivando el turismo en el Perú y donde todos los peruanos debemos poner de nuestra parte para lograr que los turistas nacionales y extranjeros reciban una cordial atención durante su permanencia en nuestros lugares de visita.

[The Commission of Promotion of Peru for Export and Tourism] PROMPERÚ is directing this campaign seeking to continue stimulating tourism in Peru, and where we as Peruvians have to play our part in order to get national and foreign tourists to receive friendly service during their stay in our tourist destinations.

After an extensive advertising campaign on television, newspapers and radio, on Monday June 3, 2013, President Ollanta Humala Tasso and Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, José Luis Silva Martinot, awarded the prize to the winner of the contest, 23-year old Law School student Marisol Rodríguez Gamero.

Marisol was chosen because she spontaneously escorted two Swiss cyclists from the Limean district of Pueblo Libre to the Jorge Chávez international airport. In March of this year, Marisol biked with the Swiss tourists, who were about to travel back to their country, on a 20-kilometer ride from the intersection of Brasil [es] and Bolívar avenues all the way to the airport.

Typical Cusco street. Photo by Flickr user Héctor de Pereda (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Marisol became a finalist in the contest after netizens voted for her. The awarded prize consists of a luxury trip for two to three destinations: Cusco, Paracas and Tambopata.

The Peruvian twittersphere reacted with all kinds of 140-character remarks, like the laconic announcement by Marca PERÚ (@marcaPERU):

@marcaPERU: Se inicio ceremonia para elección del #peruanomasamable @peruanoamable #marcaperu

@marcaPERU [es]: Ceremony to choose #peruanomasamable [the kindest Peruvian] has started. @peruanoamable #marcaperu [brand Peru]

User mArTin GV (@MARTINZOTE) expressed his hopes for his favorite candidate to be the winner:

@MARTINZOTE: En esta 1ra edición tiene que ganar EL POLICÍA DE AREQUIPA. Desborda AMABILIDAD desde HACE AÑOS @marcaPERU @peruanoamable @peruanomasamable

@MARTINZOTE [es]: On this first edition, the winner has to be the POLICE AGENT FROM AREQUIPA. He is full of KINDNESS for YEARS NOW. @marcaPERU @peruanoamable @peruanomasamable

Using colloquial language, Lima Cero (@Lima_Cero) protested:

@Lima_Cero: #PTM Se puede saber por qué chu*** no fui elegido el #peruanomasamable ¿? Hablen m**das!!! oh wait!!! cc: @telasopapeo

@Lima_Cero: #PTM [es]: Can I know why the fuc*** I wasn't chosen as the #peruanomasamable ¿? Speak up, you pieces of sh**!!! oh wait!!! cc: @telasopapeo

Meanwhile, César de lta Porras (@drcesardip) expressed his opinion with visible resignation:

@drcesardip: Viendo #peruanomasamable y los galardonados me parecen mas vivos [N. del A: listo, audaz] q amable… En fin :)

@drcesardip [es]: Watching #peruanomasamable and the awarded ones look bolder rather than kind… Anyway :)

Twitter user Katty Neciosup (@kttyn) shared her surprise:

@kttyn: QUE!!! #peruanomasamable…pero si a mi no me han llamado! ah es peruanO! OK

@kttyn: WHAT!!! #peruanomasamable… but I haven't been summoned! Ah, it's for Peruvian males! OK

Edwin Gayozzo (@EGayozzo) stated his dissatisfaction and suggested:

@EGayozzo: Qué huachafada. Si quieren incentivar una conducta correcta, háganlo invirtiendo BIEN en educación, no con esta ridiculez #peruanomasamable

@EGayozzo [es]: This is tacky. If you want to encourage correct behavior, please do it with GOOD investment in education, not with this ridiculous thing. #peruanomasamable

The original Spanish word huachafada [es] refers to something tacky, in bad taste or ridiculous.

On the other hand, Less Martínez V (@rockazless) shares her own non-rewarded good action:

@rockazless: No es justo @karenzd y yo acompañamos a un grupo de 6 de turistas hasta la playa y no nos han condecorado nada #peruanomasamable

@rockazless [es]: This is not fair @karenzd and me walked a group of six tourists all the way to the beach and we haven't been awarded nor anything #peruanomasamable

Lastly, @Lima_Cero made a sarcastic reference to Peruvian junior volleyball team coach Natalia Málaga, well-known for her rude style:

@Lima_Cero: Natalia Málaga tenía que haber ganado como #peruanomasamable

@Lima_Cero [es]: Natalia Málaga should have been awarded #peruanomasamable.

Serbian High-School Students Trade Prom for Charity

Danica Radisic — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 15:19:20 +0000

As proof of the awareness and understanding of economic hardship that young people have today, a graduating high school class from the town of Pirot in southern Serbia made a deeply responsible and humane decision.

Back in October 2012, the 4th-year students of Pirot High School (Pirotska Gimnazija) calculated that they would have to spend some 500 Euros on average to buy dresses, suits and everything that goes with that for their graduating prom. They decided this was far too much to spend on one night that wouldn't mean a lot to them in the future. Together, and with the support of their teachers, parents and others, they vowed to wear plain black (for the boys) and white (for the girls) T-shirts to their prom and to give the money they would have spent to three children with disabilities in their community instead.

The graduating class of Pirot High School in front of their school on the day of their graduation. Photo courtesy of “Tvojih pet minuta sjaja – Nečiji ceo život”

They named their event Your Five Minutes of Glory – Someone's Entire Life and set out to raise funds for Predrag Potić, a 12-year-old with cerebral palsy, 1-year-old Mateja Lazarević who has had seven surgeries so far, and Čeda Tošić, a five-year-old who also suffers from cerebral palsy and, after a recent surgery, has begun to walk.

The exemplary graduates explain [sr] on their Facebook page [sr]:

Није нам било лако, нарочито када су одмицали дани и схватали озбиљност овакве организације. Настала је, истовремено, као жеља да се помогне некоме и бунт против кича који је захватио наше друштво. Новац је сакупљан уплатама ученика и запослених у Гимназији, захваљујући донаторима[...] као и неких добрих људи, и сакупили смо 310 000 динара.

It wasn't easy, especially as the days went by and we realized the gravity of this kind of organization. At the same time, there was a desire to help someone and a rebellion against the kitch that has taken over our society. Money was collected through donations from students and employees of the [Pirot] High School, thanks to donors [...] as well as some good people, and we have collected 310,000 Dinars [approx. 2,800 Euros].

Serbian online media and social networks are, of course, overflowing with awe, respect and salutes for the extraordinary graduating class of Pirot High School. As Mondo webportal reports [sr], the graduates held a small ceremony at their high school on Friday to deliver the funds they raised to the three boys, Pedja, Matej, and Čeda, after which they proudly walked, hand-in-hand and in pairs, down the town's main street in the black-and-white T-shirts they promised they would wear to their graduating prom. A donor helped them have special T-shirts made for this occasion, with “Your Five Minutes of Glory – Someone's Entire Life” printed on them.

Applauded by so many in Serbia and other countries, the students remain humble and intend to continue their humanitarian efforts. In the same post from June 2 on their Facebook page, they say:

Нажалост нисмо успели да сакупимо планирану суму од 500 000 динара, али смо успели да измамимо сузе Матеиним родитељима, свима присутнима у свечаној сали Гимназије, па и нама самима… А касније смо се ипак сви смејали. :)

Пробајте и ви, измамите неком осмех, не боли. Не сматрамо себе неким великим људима, хуманитарцима, пуно је таквих који то заиста и заслужују. Ово је далеко одјекнуло(то нам није био циљ, нити смо се надали томе), али ће се заборавити генерација 1994 пиротских матураната. Верујемо да ће нас се некад сећати, уз осмех, само Матеа, Чеда и Пеђа, остало нам није ни битно.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to raise the planned sum of 500 000 Dinars, but we succeeded in bringing tears to the eyes of Mateja's parents, all those present at the Event Hall of the high school, and to our own eyes… And later we all ended up laughing. :)

You should try it too, bring a smile to someone, it doesn't hurt. We don't consider ourselves great people, humanitarians, there are many who truly deserve [to be called] that. This has echoed far (this was not our goal, nor could we hope for it), but the generation of 1994 from Pirot High School will be forgotten. We believe we will only be remembered sometimes, with a smile, by Mateja, Čeda and Pedja, we don't care about the rest.

1-year-old Mateja with his mother at the ceremony at Pirot High School. Photo courtesy of “Tvojih pet minuta sjaja – Nečiji ceo život”

The students who believe they “will be forgotten” also invite high school students from other Serbian cities to join their cause and follow in their footsteps. They have already become an Internet meme in Serbia and word is spreading fast to neighboring countries as well. User Leteći medvjedić on the Serbian meme site Vukajlija has created a poster [sr] on this site that is being shared massively on Facebook and Twitter. The poster shows a photo of the graduating class of Pirot High School walking down the main street – and this caption:

Oni su položili – ispit zrelosti

They have passed – the test of maturity

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VIDEO: Brazilian Toddler's Vegetarian Wisdom Goes Viral

Paula Góes — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 14:54:46 +0000

[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages.]

A YouTube video of three-year-old Luiz Antonio explaining to his mother why he does not want to eat octopus gnocchi for lunch has become the latest must-see worldwide.

The young Brazilian argues that he doesn't like to eat meat because “when we eat animals, they die,” and that he likes to see the animals “on their feet, happy”, and explains that we must “look after them, not eat them.”

The original video in Portuguese, uploaded to YouTube on May 15, 2013, has reached nearly 1,500,000 views in only two weeks. The English version was published on May 29 and has been seen over 900,000 times in only three days.

In a country where only a very small percentage of the population has opted for a vegetarian diet, the viral video has sparked a heated debate about vegetarianism on YouTube and Facebook. Carlos Augusto Andrade explained the reasons:

O vídeo viralizou ontem no Facebook, daqueles que todo tipo de gente compartilha: sua mãe, sua tia, seus amigos descolados, os contatos da época do colégio… E apesar de alguns grupos no Facebook e no Youtube terem usado o vídeo para discutir o vegetarianismo, a gente entende que ele viralizou pelo que é, mesmo: um vídeo fofo de uma criança sendo curiosamente eloquente pra sua idade e refletindo sobre algo que nem todos nós nos damos ao trabalho de parar pra refletir.

The video has gone viral on Facebook yesterday [May 29, 2013], it is one of those you share with all sorts of people: your mother, your aunt, your hipster friends, contacts from school times… And although some groups on Facebook and YouTube have used the video to discuss vegetarianism, we understand that it has gone viral just for what is: a cute video of a child being curiously eloquent for his age and reflecting on something that not everyone among us bother to stop and reflect.

Flavio Giusti, the chef at the forefront of VegetariRANGO – a YouTube show on “Vegetarian Cooking Without Fuss” – published an homage to “the little boy who has touched everyone on the internet” on his Facebook page. This banner alone has been shared more than 1,145 times:

Luiz Antonio's philosophy: “When we eat animals they die. I don't like it, I like them on their feet, happy. We must look after them, not eat them.”

Inspired by the simplicity of the child's argument, some people have decided to adopt a meat-free lifestyle, such as many of the friends with whom blogger Viviane Zandonadi shared the video. A food writer, she wondered about what she is going to do when her daughter starts to ask the same kind of questions:

Fico apreensiva. Quando chegar a minha vez, se a Cata questionar a lógica da cadeia alimentar, não faço ideia do que vou dizer. O Luiz Antonio derrubou meus argumentos.

I'm apprehensive. When my turn comes, if Cata questions the logic of the food chain, I have no idea what I will say. Luiz Antonio has overthrown my arguments.

At the end of the video, Luiz Antonio's mother, moved to tears, asks her son to eat just the rice and potatoes. Writing for Acerto de Contas blog, Guilherme Carvalho hoped that other parents start to respect the sensitivity of their children, and stop resorting to lies or simplistic arguments to force kids to change their minds:

Portanto, em pleno 2013, já é tempo de parar de enganar nossas crianças e abafar seu sentimento de compaixão quando demonstram inclinação para não comer animais. Respeitemos, e valorizemos, essa postura altruísta e compassiva. Ter um filho vegetariano não é um problema, e hoje há ampla literatura científica garantindo os potenciais benefícios desta opção à saúde. O vídeo de Luiz Antonio tem deixado muita gente emocionada — e esperançosa.

So, right in 2013, it is time we stopped deceiving our children and suppressing their feelings of compassion when they show no inclination to eat animals. Let's respect and value this altruistic and compassionate stance. Having a vegetarian child is not a problem, and today there is extensive literature showing the potential health benefits of this option. Luiz Antonio's video has left many people moved – and hopeful.

Is the Russian Opposition Playing a Losing Hand?

Andrey Tselikov — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:09:29 +0000

On May 27, 2013 blogger, professional poker player, and municipal deputy Maxim Katz has left the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition [ru], proclaiming the e-democracy project [GV] a failed experiment. He is the second Council member to leave the body in two months — former Soviet dissident Andrei Piontkovsky quit [ru] in early April. Katz said he was happy to have participated as long as he did — especially in the election and debate process last fall — but that the Council was essentially crippled from the start by its “ideological curiae,” groups of representatives that were voted through according to ideological quotas for liberals, nationalists, and leftists. Katz complained [ru]:

курии позволили пройти в КС людям, которые очень отличаются по взглядам, подходам и целям как от основной части координационного совета, так и от поддерживающей аудитории.

the curiae allowed certain people into the C[oordinating] C[ouncil] who are very different in their views, approaches and goals from both the main part of the Coordinating Council and from its supporters.

This, in turn, according to Katz, broke the system and turned the Council into a reactive, rather than proactive, body:

На нескольких первых заседаниях КС занимался тем, что реагировал на тактические события, происходившие за несколько дней до заседания [...] На нескольких последних заседаниях КС не просто не начал думать о стратегии, а он даже перестал реагировать на тактические события — он теперь реагирует на производимые самим собой события.

At the first few meeting the C[oordinating] C[ouncil] was concerned with reacting to tactical events, which happened several days before the meeting [...] At the last few meeting the C[oordinating] C[ouncil] not only did not start thinking about strategy, it even stopped reacting to tactical events — now it reacts to events that it itself produces.

Katz concluded by saying that because individual members of the Council are much more effective than the body, the Council should be disbanded, and its “sensible” members should form smaller bodies tasked with forming a political strategy.

Although Katz's luscious locks and firecracker rhetoric may remind one of Comandante Che, he is no fan of leftist opposition members. Image remixed by author, using a YouTube screenshot of Katz and Che Guevara by Alberto Korda, public domain at Wikimedia Commons.

These reasons are close to the ones Katz gave in February, when he was already considering leaving the Council. Back then [ru] he also complained about the curiae, but also said that he did not really see a point in such “hodgepodge” body of people meeting in the first place, simply to argue about ideology on a regular basis. Instead he suggested that it meet only when something needs “coordinating” — like an opposition rally for instance.

Katz is a polarizing figure. Although he has a relatively large fan base of blog readers, who seem to approve of anything he does, some have criticized him for the move. For example, Yekaterinburg blogger Konstantin Chelyudskih noted [ru] that Katz's complaints are essentially silly: politicking and intrigues between rival factions is what real parliamentarism looks like, so the smart thing to do would be to try to learn from such problems. After all, a democratically elected government isn't some club, it is explicitly a place for people who are “very different in their views.”

Popular blogger Maksim Aleksandrov (who used to blog under scandalmax in the early 2000s), on the other hand, questioned [ru] Katz's identity as a member of the opposition in the first place:

О том что в политической игре он участвует не для того чтобы добиться политических изменений и не для того даже чтоб поднять бабла, а изсоображений более хитрых – говорят давно и вслух все.

The fact that he is part of the political game not to effect policy changes and not even to get some dough, but because of more sly considerations, is something that everyone has talked about forever now.

Maybe it's Katz's perceived slyness that is to blame for some of the more negative opinions about him; opinions held by many, as DemVybor's second-in-command Kirill Shulika claims [ru]:

я общаюсь с рядом членов КС, и вот они в один голос говорят, что там не было более ненавидимого человека, чем Кац, он даже Ксению Собчак обошел в этой номинации.

I interact with a number of C[oordinating] C[ouncil] members, and they all say that there was not a more hated person there than Katz, he has even passed [socialite and TV personality] Ksenya Sobchak in this category.

An artist's impression of how Max Katz made his money. Remix based on A Friend In Need by C.M. Coolidge, public domain, and YouTube screenshot of Katz.

Shulika proceeded to lambaste Katz for allegedly dodging the Israeli draft by moving to Russia when he was 17, and for making his money playing professional poker (Katz apparently runs a poker backing firm now — lending out money to other players). He also criticized Katz for calling himself an “urbanist,” or an expert in urban planning and development, without having the requisite professional education or experience. Katz has apparently only completed a 5-day urban planning course, but regularly weighs in on Moscow's transport problems. Indeed, according to Shulika, it was this interest that prompted his exit from the council.

Shulika claims that the real reason for Katz leaving was his connection [ru] to Moscow's transport department [ru] and tram manufacturers, on behalf of whom he was essentially engaged in lobbying over the past year in his blog. Since the Coordinating Council technically frowns on lobbying, says Shulika, Katz was finally forced to make a choice. In this view, Katz's rhetoric about lack of Council functionality is just so much tinsel, aimed to distract. Whatever the case may be, we can be sure that he will keep his poker face.

Chinese Motherland or Otherland?

Oiwan Lam — Thu, 30 May 2013 03:08:59 +0000

A web postcard designed by @weicombo in Sina Weibo.

The micro-blogger explained the meaning of otherland as: You thought it is motherland, in fact it is otherland; this country belongs to foreigners and those whose offsprings are living overseas. You are the stranger of motherland.

The “Brave” Democrats of Russia's Growing Civil Society

Kevin Rothrock — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:21:23 +0000

As Vladimir Putin “turns the screws” on Russian public life in his third presidential term, Russian civil society is increasingly a repository for the ideologists and movers-and-shakers of an earlier age of Kremlin statecraft. Weeks ago, after the ouster of Vladislav Surkov (Moscow’s “grey cardinal”), observers from all over the globe proclaimed the end of an era in Russian politics. Last week, on May 22, 2013, when Surkov-ally Alexey Chesnakov quit United Russia and publicly criticized the party, few in the English-speaking world noticed, but the event could just as easily represent an important moment for Russian society.

Amidst a growing crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs and show trials either underway or looming against leaders of the protest movement, it’s easy to assume that Russian civil society is little more than a patchwork of persecuted activists and scholars. In fact, changes in the Kremlin have actually furnished the country’s public sphere with a fresh supply of former apparatchiki, whose fall from grace has pressured them out of formal politics, into the nebula of public policy research and advocacy. (Indeed, Mikhail Rostovsky has mocked [ru] this very phenomenon of Kremlin functionaries transforming into “brave democrats,” upon losing favor.)

When your outside's in, and your downside's up

Alexey Chesnakov at a meeting between PM Vladimir Putin and political scientists, 6 February 2012, photo by Government.ru, public domain.

Chesnakov is a case in point. Throughout Putin’s first two terms as president, he led the Administration’s information-analysis division, and later helped manage the Kremlin’s internal policy. Since 2008, Chesnakov has been a member of Russia’s Civic Chamber, held different leadership positions at the Center for Current Politics (TsPK), and served as a deputy secretary in United Russia’s General Council. (He also had a brief stint as a Kasimov city council member, in a failed bid [ru] for a seat in the national Senate, for which bloggers [ru] thoroughly condemned him.) In other words, Chesnakov has participated in public life on both the inside and outside of government, albeit always with a foot in the door, should he want to return either to public service or party work.

After leaving the party so loudly last week, Chesnakov appears to have shut the door on United Russia. (The metaphor he later used [ru] was “burned bridges.”) In four separate interviews (all on May 22), Chesnakov laid out “stylistic differences” with United Russia, which it turns out involve ostensibly procedural gripes about how the party goes about drafting legislative initiatives. In all the interviews, he stressed the need for a two-party system that would subject United Russia to competition he says is necessary to preserve its vitality.

Some of his other statements, however, lack a general coherence. For instance, Chesnakov argued in comments to Kommersant [ru] and Moskovskii Komsomolets [ru] that the Kremlin’s micromanagement hamstrings United Russia, but he told [ru] Slon.ru that one of the party’s most poorly handled legislative efforts (the ban on U.S. adoptions) was engineered exclusively by United Russia Secretary General Sergey Neverov.

The RuNet Bees Nest

The day that Chesnakov announced his exit from United Russia, LiveJournal users added to the controversy with two separate (albeit dubious) allegations. First, blogger Mikhail Antonov obtained and published [ru] screenshots of Chesnakov’s friends-only Facebook posts from May 22. What caught the public’s attention was a long and flowery description of a culinary experience at a Paris restaurant. While Chesnakov later claimed this post referred to a past visit to France, some of his critics were quick to compare his resignation to Surkov’s foreign trip to the London School of Economics, where Surkov criticized federal investigators, possibly instigating his own ouster. “This is probably some new trend, making political announcements from abroad,” Olga Batalina (Chesnakov’s UR deputy secretary successor) joked [ru] to the media.

In two posts on May 22 and 24, blogger Viktor Levanov explored Chesnakov’s prospects [ru] as an independent political force, postulating that he would need to compensate for his public obscurity by attracting wealthy sponsors. Going a step further, Levanov floated a few admittedly tenuous connections [ru] between Chesnakov and Dmitri Kuznetsov, the general director of SkyJet airlines. After this speculation apparently flooded Levanov with phone calls and written inquiries, he soon published [ru] reader-submitted screenshots of stockholder data on SkyJet and another business called SkyPoint, showing that Chesnakov seemed to own part of the companies. (Chesnakov responded [ru] on May 24, denying an ongoing role in Kuznetsov’s airlines, explaining that Levanov’s figures were over a year old and that he no longer owns SkyJet shares.)

Civil society versus siloviki

Chesnakov’s think tank, TsPK, used to publish on its website weekly memos about Russian domestic politics. Those briefs often created waves [ru] among Russia’s chattering classes, such as an August 2011 memo [ru] speculating that Putin was moving to weaken his chief silovik, Igor Sechin. (All evidence suggests that things turned out otherwise.) The Center’s last weekly memo went live [ru] in early October 2012. Shortly thereafter, the website closed down [ru] for “reconstruction,” where it remains today. On May 22, 2013, Chesnakov told Kommersant that he would welcome his new nonpartisan status by publishing through TsPK a series of political papers about risks facing Russia’s political system over the next year of Putin’s presidency. Earlier today, May 28, he announced [ru] the upcoming release of 12 articles addressing problems facing United Russia. That content, however, will appear in TsPK’s side-project electronic periodical [ru], Topical Commentary.

Syria Untold: Raqqa Lessons, From Freedom to Creativity in State Building

Mohamed ElGohary — Tue, 28 May 2013 20:58:31 +0000

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

For Syrians, demanding freedom has extended from struggling against dictatorship, facing murder, jail, detention and destruction of the infrastructure, to trying to establish a new foundation for the country that they long dreamed of. Is it really possible to build from within all this destruction?

If anyone can achieve the impossible, it is Syrians. They have turned the French students uprising´s slogans – “Be realistic, demand the impossible” – into “Be realistic and make the impossible.”

After the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Raqqa in March 2013, the city suffered a tremendous power vacuum, especially in public services. The streets were filled with garbage and remnants of the regime barricades.

A discussion was started by a group of 35 activists who had remained in the city, which led to the creation of a rally named “The youth of Raqqa”. One of these activists, surgeon Ayman al-Khalaf, has explained to Syria Untold:

The poster reads [ar]: To people who love freedom, know that the factory of heroes is in Syria. Source: Syria Untold

A week after liberation, we started discussing how to solve services problems resulting from the withdrawal of the regime and disabling its institutions. We decided to establish the rally as a civil institution without subordination to any political, religious or military affiliation.

The rally adopted the role of the municipality, cleaning the streets, taking the garbage away from the city center, and removing the regime barricades. In the words of Ayman:

“We have dreamt of living without this regime for so long. Now the dream has come true, so we have to be responsible and turn the city to a real icon of freedom”

Inspired by their newly achieved freedom, campaigns were organized, such as the “Our Streets Breathe Freedom” one. Activists distributed the revolution flag in all public utilities and streets, cleaned the city, neighborhood after neighborhood, covering the streets with creative drawings and graffiti.

Raqqa..:Lessons in state building

Activists also started the “Clean the National Hospital” campaign, which lasted until the city´s main hospital was cleaned from the debris of bombing and destruction; and the “I Will Not Leave my School” campaign aiming to rehabilitate schools so that children could continue their studies as soon as possible.

Activists at the I will not leave my school campaign

Activists did not forget Syrian refugees arriving from all over the country. A relief kitchen was set to provide about 500 meals a day to refugees, despite the lack of bread caused by the shortages. This led to the “Our Bread Campaign”, in which pieces of bread were distributed in small bags with a sign reading “my loaf is your loaf” and the saying of the Prophet Mohammad “None of you will have faith unless you wish for others what you wish for yourselves.”

The youth rally also focused on Syria's children, who are suffering a dire situation since the beginning of the struggle. Campaigns such as “Children´s right to live” aim to defend their rights and help them by engaging them in theatre workshops and other activities focusing on solidarity, cooperation and teamwork spirit, educating children on true values that promote a new sense belonging to the country.

Other campaigns focus on Syrian prisoners of conscience, such as the April 7 “Free Behind Bars” sit-ins.

The sign reads: Freedom for the prisoner we don't know

Solidarity with other Syrian towns has also emerged in Raqqa, through campaigns such as the “Euphrates Candles of Freedom”.

Through their work, the Raqqa youth are doing what the state institutions should be doing. In the words of Ayman, the young activist and doctor:

“We will stay strong, because Raqqa is the capital of liberation and we will continue to work to keep the city live up to its name regardless of the process of militarization.”

This post is cross-posted from Syria Untold and translated by Global Voices Arabic.

From Guinea to Italy to France and Back: An Interview with Blogger Abdoulaye Bah

Louise Marsden — Mon, 27 May 2013 21:35:03 +0000

Global Voices author and translator Abdoulaye Bah, originally from Guinea, is a retired Italian citizen who has worked for the United Nations. He splits his time between Rome and Nice and has collaborated [fr] with GV since December 2008, having contributed to thousands of written posts and translation in French as well as a considerable number of posts [it] for the Italian group and some more in English.

Bah also runs his own blog, the Konakry Express, where he writes about Italian and African politics. His latest post unfortunately details [fr] his recent encounter with racism in an Italian restaurant in Nice in which a man roughly shoved him out the door of a restaurant, an incident he is speaking to anti-racist NGO SOS Racisme for help.

Before that terrible incident, we had the opportunity to speak with Bah about his life, from his experience hiding in a bathroom to enter Italy without the proper papers, to his marriage in the Vatican, from his foray into cinema to his multi-belief family.

Global Voices (GV): You are originally from Guinea Conakry. When did you arrive in Italy? How would you describe your experience of arriving clandestinely in the country?

Abdoulaye Bah (AB): Precisely last April it was 50 years since I first arrived in Italy, in Florence, to study. However, it wasn't then that I arrived clandestinely in the country. Nevertheless, shortly after my arrival, my documents expired and I was faced with the experience of being “sans-papier”. The life of a student without a scholarship is difficult, however the Italian police didn't employ all the xenophobic measures that they use today.

Despite the help I received from many friends, I experienced hunger to the point where I sat my first university exam in a state of dizziness. Luckily, the Archbishop of Florence, H.E. Ermenegildo Florit, under the recommendation of Mayor Giorgio La Pira, offered me the possibility to eat at the charity Caritas’ canteen and sleep at the homeless shelter [it].

GV: So when did you illegally enter Italy?

AB: It happened after the end of my studies in Florence, in 1967, just after obtaining my diploma in statistics. I continued with a specialisation course, then I went to Paris where I wanted to work and save up to buy a ticket to return to my country. When my father found out, he came to find me and advise me against returning to Guinea because the dictatorship had become more merciless, with tens of thousands of arrests and massacres of innocent people, particularly among the academics of our ethnicity.

Not having any documents, it was not easy to obtain a visa to return to Italy. I took the train from Paris to Rome the day after Che Guevara's death, 9 October, 1967. Arriving on the border at Ventimiglia, I instantly felt the police controls, I went into the bathroom leaving the door open and clung to the partition above the toilet cubicle. When the police agents entered they looked around without noticing me and closed the door. And that's how I managed to re-enter Italy.

A priest who had just founded UCSEI [it, Ufficio centrale studenti esteri Central Office for Foreign Students] took me on as a writer for 20,000 lire a month, with which I could pay the rent. I also managed to find extra activities to earn a little more. I summarised and translated scientists’ biographies, in particular for the Pontificia Accademia delle Scienze [Papal Academy of Science], and later I worked for the IRI [Institute for Industrial Reconstruction] as a public relations consultant in their office for international co-operation.

Today's clandestines, “I'm in Italy, I'll become rich!!”, by Gianluca Costantini (2005) under licence CC 3.0

AB: In Guinea, religion is practised in a tolerant manner. From a young age I experienced a lot through contact with my grandfather, who was an important religious leader and died at Mecca. I followed many of his sermons, full of compassion. After secondary school my father paid for my studies at a school run by priests, the best in Guinea. Given the environment in which my personality developed, different religions have never been a problem for me.

In 1969, when I met my soulmate and we decided to marry, I couldn't obtain any documentation from my country. I was living illegally in Italy. I couldn't supply complete documentation to ask for a civil marriage. Father Remigio Musaragno [it], the director of UCSEI, made the proposal of marrying in the Vatican. The instruction on mixed marriages issued on the 18th March 1966 [it] solicited a few guarantees from me – relevant also in my country -, the respect of my wife's religion, the commitment to not obstruct the religious education of our children, and the understanding of the indissoluble nature of marriage contracted in church.

By and large I've kept to my commitments, we are still married and I have not obstructed the Catholic education of our children. Our eldest has even become a Franciscan Tertiary, on this past 7 April, while our second-born is agnostic. I've become a member of the Radical Party.

GV: Would you like to tell us something about your son's experience who became a Franciscan Tertiary?

AB: In all the countries I have visited, my wife and my three children have always practised the Catholic religion. Furthermore, in our house we have always received priests as much as in Addis Abeba, my first place of work for the United Nations, and in Vienna, where we lived for a longer time.

In Vienna we tried to teach our children about the Muslim religion as well, in order to allow them to choose between Islam and Catholicism. However, teaching Islam is difficult in a European environment because one should learn to read and write Arabic. So we asked some North African students who studied in Vienna to explain the foundations to them.

When our children decided to be baptised, Ahmed, the eldest, didn't want to do it and leave me being the only Muslim follower in the family. We had already explained to him that it wasn't the case because I didn't practise any religion. Only then did he too get baptised. Returning to Rome, to carry out work, he started to attend a Franciscan community and work voluntarily for Caritas, discovering his vocation.

GV: Your relationship with the Catholic Church also includes a small role in Nanni Moretti's film “Habemus Papam“: How did that come about and what role did you have?

AB: That participation was pure coincidence. When the director set about making the film, he needed immigrants of a certain age from all over the world. Unfortunately when filming started I was ill and I only took part in a few scenes. I was close to Michel Piccoli, to his left. I was the Cardinal of Zambia. I've never dreamed of working in film even though I had the fortune of participating in films by famous directors such as Federico Fellini and Gillo Pontecorvo in the 1960′s in the Cinecittà and De Laurentiis studios.

Abdoulaye Bah

GV: How did you get involved with Global Voices? And the blog Konakry Express [fr]?

AB: One evening in December 2008, by then I had retired, to avoid arguing with my wife about what to watch on TV, I started to search on the Internet for a voluntary activity I could undertake. Among the sites I came across was Global Voices. I read a few posts and liked them. Immediately, I contacted Claire Ulrich, the person in charge of the French group and I started to partake.

I didn't have any blogging experience beforehand. I didn't even know what Facebook, Twitter, netizen, citizen media, blogs or posts were. My only previous activity had been the creation of a forum for the victims of the dictatorship in my country. I became a blogger thanks to the patience of Claire Ulrich, who helped me create Konakry Express [fr], a blog designed to broadcast information of the grave violations of human rights that occurred in Guinea on the 28th September 2009.

GV: What relationship is there between your activity as a blogger and your involvement in politics with the Radical Party?

AB: I experienced the 1968 protests in Italy, I followed or took part in many of the youth protests for the decolonisation in Africa, the fight against Apartheid, condemnation of the Vietnam War, the fight against segregation in the USA. The topics which were at the forefront for the Radical Party in Italy could not but engage me: the fight for the rights for abortion and divorce and against world hunger. It is also thanks to the radical initiatives which arose in the 1990′s with the creation of the International Criminal Court, with the discussions about suspension of capitol punishment worldwide or the successes against female genital mutilation.

My sensitivity towards human rights is the fruit of the experience faced in my country and during the peace missions in which I participated, in places where these rights were being violated, such as Cambodia, Haiti and Rwanda. In my blogs, I try to write or translate posts on these topics which are in my heart.

GV: Speaking of which, what is your opinion of the situation in Guinea Conakry today?

AB: In 2010, Alpha Condé, a former academic professor of rights at Sorbona, was elected as president. Many citizens expected improvements but, unfortunately, he is the worst president the country could have had so far due to the rifts his politics are creating among ethnic groups. In his government, there are people accused of crimes against humanity, not only by international NGO's or the UN, but also by Guinean justice, and yet they maintain the same positions of responsibility which they occupied when they committed these acts or they have even been promoted. They should have been able to have elections a few months after the presidential elections but there is no common ground of understanding between the government and the opposition. The future doesn't look promising. [Read this previous interview [it] with Abdoulaye for more on this topic.]