Global Voices » Media & Journalism

‘Qandisha', the Women's Webzine that is Ruffling Feathers in Morocco

Jea — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:39:03 +0000

A webzine for women in Morocco is causing a stir for its frank treatment of religion and sexuality.

A year and a half ago, Fedoua Miski, who lives in Casablanca, launched Qandisha [fr], a magazine for women in Morocco and beyond. For the 32-year-old trained doctor, her involvement in human rights propelled her to get involved in citizen journalism. The magazine has since earned a strong following in Morroco and abroad, but along the way its web site has been hacked twice and attracted its share of disparaging comments and threats in response to its coverage.

Global Voices recently caught up with the founder of this “magazwine”, as Miski calls Qandisha to bridge the words “magazine” and “webzine”, during her trip to Montpellier for the third instance of 4M [fr], a conference attended by members of the media on both sides of the Mediterranean, organised by CFI (Canal France International) and Montpellier.

Fedoua Miski, founder of Qandisha “Magazwine”. Photo by author

Global Voices (GV): Why did you create this webzine for women?

Fedoua Miski (FM): Pour apporter quelque chose de différent. Il y a beaucoup de webzines au Maroc, mais c'est le premier webzine féminin sans le trio beauté-mode-cuisine habituel. C'est aussi un magazine collaboratif. Notre rédaction, c'est notre lectorat. Le sentiment d'appartenance au journal est plus important. A travers les sujets qu'on aborde, on a une étiquette engagées-militantes assez évidente. Les valeurs universelles, le respect des droits humains, des libertés individuelles. Plus concrètement, on voudrait pousser toutes les femmes qui le souhaitent à discuter et commenter l'actualité, qu'elle soit politique, sociale : encourager la prise de parole féminine. Dans nos pays arabo-musulmans, conservateurs, les femmes ont moins l'habitude de prendre la parole.

To bring in something new. There are plenty of webzines in Morocco, but this is the first woman's webzine that is not about the typical beauty-fashion-cooking trio. It's also a collaborative magazine; our writers are our readers. That sense of belonging to the magazine is very important. Through the subjects we cover, there's an activist branding that's pretty evident. Universal values, respect for human rights, individual liberties. More concretely, we want to give a boost to all the women who want to discuss and comment on current events, whether political or social – to encourage women to speak up. In our Arab Muslim conservative countries, women are less inclined to make their voices heard.

GV: What does the name Qandisha mean?

FM: C'est le nom d'une démone dans la mythologie locale. Une femme diabolisée parce qu'elle a dérangé. On savait qu'on allait être diabolisées, donc, on a pris ce nom d'une femme diable. La légende dit que cette femme rendait fou les hommes, les ensorcelait. En réalité, ce devait être une nana très belle ou très forte. On voulait l'isoler, donc, on l'a diabolisée.

It's the name of a demon in the local mythology. A women who is demonised because she causes a stir. We knew we would be demonised, so we took up this name of a female devil. Legend has it that this woman drove men crazy, she bewitched them. In reality, she must have been a very beautiful, strong woman. They wanted to isolate her, so they demonised her.

GV: What has been the most-read article on Qandisha?

FM: Le témoignage d'une jeune femme à qui le syndic de son immeuble interdit de recevoir des amis hommes chez elle, à Agadir. On ne la laissait plus accéder à son appartement avec ses amis. Nous l'avons soutenue et encouragée à porter plainte, ce qu'elle a fait et cela a entraîné un débat sur la moralité et sur les libertés individuelles. La femme marocaine n'a pas de libertés dans l'espace public, mais elle n'en a pas non plus chez elle. Les réactions ont été très diverses. Certains hommes et des femmes l'encourageaient à faire respecter ses droits, d'autres lui conseillaient de se plier aux règles sociales.

The account of a young women in Agadir who was banned by the management of her building from allowing male friends to visit her. They wouldn't let her enter her apartment with her friends. We supported her and encouraged her to report it to the authorities, which she did, and that sparked a debate on morality and individual liberties. The Moroccan woman has no liberty in the public space, but she has none in her own home, either. The reactions were very diverse. Some men and women encouraged her to demand that her rights be respected, others advised her to bow to social norms.

GV: Who reads Qandisha?

FM: Peu de magazines ou webzines féminins au Maroc peuvent se targuer d'avoir autant de lecteurs masculins que nous. Parce que nos sujets sont sociétaux, politiques. Les hommes seraient plus tranquilles si on se consacrait à la mode, à la beauté et à la cuisine, ça les rassurerait. Et en même temps, beaucoup d'hommes nous soutiennent, au Maroc même. Il faut arrêter de croire que le Marocain est un macho primaire, il y en a beaucoup qui soutiennent l'émancipation de la femme. Dans nos statistiques, nous voyons que c'est de Casablanca que viennent le plus de lecteurs, et, au second rang, de Paris…Nos articles ont été repris par Courrier International, par Rue 89. Nous avons maintenant des contributrices françaises, tunisienne, algériennes. Ce serait génial si des femmes d'autres origines écrivaient (en français ou en arabe) chez nous.

Few magazines or webzines for women in Morocco can claim to have as many male readers as us. Because our subjects are societal, political. Men would be more relaxed if we just focused on beauty, cooking, that's reassuring to them. But at the same time, a lot of men support us, even in Morocco. People need to stop thinking about the Moroccan male as a simplistic, macho type; many of them support women's emancipation. From our stats, we see that the highest concentration of readers is in Casablanca, and then Paris… Our articles have been republished by Courrier International, by Rue 89. We now have contributors from France, Tunisia, Algeria. It would be great if women from other origins would write (in French or Arabic) for us, too.

GV: Have you encountered any problems due to the causes you're involved in or the subjects your articles touch upon?

FM: Le site a été piraté deux fois, en représailles d'articles portant sur la religion ou sur la sexualité. Il a été piraté juste après la publication du témoignage d'un jeune homosexuel qui vit au Maroc. On a des commentaires anonymes, des menaces mais on s'y est habituées. Le camp adverse n'a pas d'arguments solides, il se sent ébranlé dans ses convictions.

The site was hacked twice, in reprisals for articles on religion or sexuality. We were hacked right after we published an account of a young homosexual living in Morocco. We get anonymous comments, threats, but we're used to that. The opposite camp lacks solid arguments, they end up with their convictions shaken.

Mali: Interview with creator of video journal “How are things in Bamako?”

Jane Ellis — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:31:28 +0000

At the time of writing, June 2013, France is still fighting Islamists in Mali. Paris-based documentary-maker Anne Morin [fr] and her friend Awa Traoré [fr] in Bamako decided to share a video journal [fr] of their conversations on Skype on YouTube. At the beginning, the ambition was to do one per day; it was only possible to maintain this rate for a few days. So they moved to conducting the interviews on a weekly basis.

Following a long silence after the ninth edition, the tenth video of the series has been just put on line:

Anna Gueye used the opportunity to ask Anne Morin some questions.

Anna Gueye (Global Voices): Why did you create this series?

Anne Morin: Je ne pouvais pas juste rester là à attendre des infos de la presse et je voulais rester en lien avec les amis du Mali et Awa en particulier qui est une amie récente mais avec laquelle je partage beaucoup de choses car elle est aussi réalisatrice de documentaires.
C’est une conversation entre Awa et moi; ce qui moi me soucie c’est par rapport à notre projet d’adoption d’un enfant malien.

Anne Morin: I couldn't just sit there waiting for news from the press, and I wanted to stay in touch with friends in Mali, in particular with Awa who is a new friend with which I share many things because she too directs documentaries.
It is a conversation between me and Awa; what I care about is the relationship to our project to adopt a Malian child.

Why Mali?

Mes beaux-parents (70 et 75 ans) font de l’humanitaire dans le pays Dogon depuis 10 ans. Ils ont créé une association Jean d’Argile qui en association avec via Sahel a monté un laboratoire biologique dans l’hôpital de Sangha. Cela fait donc des années que je vais au Mali.

My in-laws (aged 70 and 75) have been doing humanitarian work in the Dogon Country for 10 years. They created a Jean d'Argole association who, together with via Sahel set up a biological laboratory in the Hospital of Sangha. So it has been years since I went to Mali.

In the videos above you say that international adoptions have been stopped in Mali. Why is that?

Tout a commencé avec la promulgation du nouveau code de la famille, en janvier 2012, dont l’article 540 limite l’adoption-filiation aux seuls ressortissants maliens. Pendant quelques mois, malgré tout, l'adoption a continué comme avant. Mais en novembre, la Ministre de la Promotion de l’Enfant, de la Femme et de la Famille, Madame Alwata Ichata Sahi, a décidé d’arrêter les adoptions internationales. Il s’agissait alors de répondre à une lettre du Secrétaire de la Convention de La Haye, traité international régissant l’adoption et dont le Mali est signataire. Cette lettre demandait aux autorités maliennes de se mettre en concordance avec le traité international [qu’elles ont signé] et proposait deux alternatives : (i) soit arrêter les adoptions internationales vers des non-Maliens puisque la nouvelle loi nationale l’interdisait ; (ii) soit de modifier la loi. Les autorités maliennes ont choisi la première alternative, et sans préavis aucun.

It all started with the creation of the new Family Code, in January 2012, article 540 of which limits adoption to Malian nationals. For a few months, however, adoptions continued as before. But in November, the Minister of the Advancement of Children, Women and Family, Mrs Alwata Ichata Sahi, decided to stop international adoptions. It was then necessary to respond to a letter from the Secretary of the Hague Convention, international treaty governing adoption and to which Mali is a signatory. The letter asked the Malian authorities for agreement with the international treaty [which they signed] and proposed two alternatives: (i) either stop adoptions to non-Malians as prohibited by the new national law or (ii), amend the law. Without any warning, the Malian authorities have chosen the first option.

How many prospective adopters are affected?

A l'époque, environ 150 dossiers de candidats étrangers à l'adoption (Français en majorité, Italiens, Espagnols, Canadiens…) avaient été dûment sélectionnés sur des critères moraux et matériels. Leur probité avait alors été reconnue. Ces candidats sélectionnés, attendaient, en confiance, parfois depuis des années, que le Mali leur confie un enfant abandonné. Existait alors un engagement mutuel entre eux et le Mali.

At this time, approximately 150 records from foreign prospective adopters (mostly French, then Italians, Spaniards, Canadians…) had been duly selected on moral and material grounds. Their integrity had therefore been recognized. These selected candidates were waiting, trustingly, sometimes for years, for Mali to entrust to them an abandoned child. Therefore a mutual commitment existed between themselves and Mali.

Was a transitional policy considered?

Malheureusement non. La Convention de La Haye est pourtant très précise : Retarder le placement familial permanent d'un enfant, surtout dans les cas de transition pourrait être contraire au principe supérieur de l'enfant. Or, aucune politique transitoire n'a été mise en place. Les placements n'ont pas été retardés, ils ont brutalement cessé. Et ce qui était cyniquement prévisible advient désormais: l'adoption par les ressortissants maliens étant dérisoire, les pouponnières souffrent d'un effectif pléthorique. Autrefois financées en grande partie par des ONG étrangères de parents adoptifs et candidats à l’adoption, elles ont vus, avec l'arrêt de l'adoption internationale, leur budget fondre. Ce qui signifie, très pragmatiquement qu'elles manquent de tout : eau, lait, nourriture, l'essentiel pour survivre, sans parler de couches ou de biberons ; cela signifie qu'elles ne peuvent plus rémunérer leur personnel, que les enfants manquent de soins (*).

En outre, on soupçonne une recrudescence des infanticides, l'abandon étant interdit au Mali et les pouponnières étant surchargées.

Ce constat ne vient pas de nous. Il est admis de tous les acteurs de l'adoption au Mali qui se sont rassemblés du 16 au 18 mai à Bamako, à l'initiative du Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme et de l'Enfant, lors de l'Atelier de concertation sur l'adoption. Tous se sont accordés sur la nécessité absolue de solutions d'urgence humanitaire.

Unfortunately not. The Hague Convention is very precise that delaying the permanent placing of a child in a family, especially in the case of transition could be contrary to the best interests of the child. However, no transitional policy was set up and placements were not simply slowed down, they were brutally stopped. Following which, what could have been cynically predicted happened: adoption by Malian nationals being negligible, the nurseries for homeless infants started overflowing. Previously funded in the main by foreign NGOs for adoptive parents and prospective adopters, they have seen their budget collapse with the stopping of international adoptions. Which means, on a day-to-day basis they lack everything: water, milk, food, the basics for survival, not to mention diapers or baby bottles. This means that they can no longer pay their staff and that the children lack care (*).In addition, an increase in infanticide is suspected, abandonment being prohibited in Mali and the nurseries for homeless infants being overloaded.This is not our own observation. It is accepted by all stakeholders in adoption in Mali who gathered from May 16 to 18 in Bamako, at the initiative of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Children, during the workshop for dialogue on adoption. Everyone was agreed on the absolute necessity for urgent humanitarian solutions.

How might the situation change?

La seule recommandation que préconise le ministère est une modification de la loi et ce après les prochaines élections, prévues en juillet. Au mieux, ce ne serait donc pas avant de nombreux mois que les apparentements et les adoptions reprendraient.

Les enfants sont déjà en attente et manquent de tout depuis 8 mois. Dans la vie d'un nourrisson, 8 mois sont une éternité. La temporalité de la démarche législative, pour légitime qu'elle soit, ne doit pas venir en opposition avec la temporalité d'un nourrisson.

La solution humanitaire d'urgence est pourtant à portée de main : apparenter les candidats déjà sélectionnés, ceux-là même qui se sont engagés à aimer et élever dans leur foyer un enfant du Mali dans le respect de sa culture d'origine.

C'est peut-être une lecture interprétative de la loi mais elle a déjà été faire au début du mois de mai 2013 : 8 jugements d'adoption d'enfants apparentés avant octobre 2012 auprès de familles européennes, ont enfin eu lieu. Dans l'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant, et parce qu'il y a urgence, qu'il y a non-assistance à personne en danger, cette interprétation-là est la bonne.

The only recommendation from the Ministry is modification of the law after the next elections, scheduled for July. Therefore, at best, it will be many months before links would be recreated and adoptions resume.Children are waiting and lack everything from 8 months onwards. In the life of an infant, 8 months is an eternity. The timescale of the legislative approach, as legitimate as it may be, must not come into opposition with the timescale of an infant.Nevertheless, an emergency humanitarian solution is at hand which is to link up with the already selected candidates, those who committed themselves to love and raise a child of Mali in their homes while respecting its culture of origin. This may be an interpretative reading of the law but a precedent was set at the start of May 2013 when 8 adoption judgments for children who had been linked up with prospective European families before October 2012 finally took place. In the best interests of the child, and because of the urgency, and of the lack of assistance to anyone in danger, this interpretation is the right one.

(*) Gifts are regularly sent to nurseries for homeless infants and there, 4 thousand litres of milk has been made up – diapers and clothes should be able to go next week. There are one hundred children available for adoption in Bamako.

Ecuador Passes Controversial Communications Law

Marianna Breytman — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:59 +0000

After almost four years of debate, with 108 votes in favor and 26 against, the Ecuadorian National Assembly passed a controversial Law of Communications propelled by President Rafael Correa.

While government authorities have celebrated [es] the passage of the law, journalistic organizations and the opposition consider [es] it a “gag” on freedom of expression in the country.

The law creates a Council of Content Regulation “in order to craft and implement communications policies and regulate media,” as Tania Lara reports on the Centro Knight blog.

As an article [es] on DW explains, the Council on Content Regulation “will have power in spheres such as access to information, content and time slots, development of regulations and reports for the allocation of frequencies, among others. The council will regulate media content that is discriminatory or related to violence. For the media that broadcasts this content, the council would be able to impose sanctions that range from public apologies on behalf of the editors to heavy economic fines.”

The law [es] also prohibits “media lynching,” the spread of information “destined to discredit a person or legal entity or reduce their public credibility.” The regulation also distributes radio and television frequencies, “reserving 33% of these frequencies for public media operations, 33% for private media operations and 34% for community media operations.”

Photo from @PoliticaEc, The official account of the National Secretariat for Policy Management – SNGP reported from the festival that occurred in the outskirts of the Assembly following the passing of the law.

Andrés Páez (‏@andrespaezid) [es], an assemblyman of the opposition, labeled July 14, 2013, the day that the law was passed, as a “day of mourning”:

@andrespaezid: Hoy es un día fúnebre para el Ecuador. Hoy en la Asamblea Nacional se firma el acta de defunción de la libertad… http://fb.me/MNRlMYk6

@andrespaezid: Today is a day of mourning for Ecuador. Today, in the National Assembly, the act marking the death of freedom was signed… http://fb.me/MNRlMYk6

Mercy Castro (@Mercy2ACastr) [es], journalist for the daily La Hora, a private written publication, wrote in an outrage:

‏@Mercy2ACastr: Ver al oficialismo festejando la aprobación d la #LeydeComunicación, es tan desagradable como ver a ancianos y niños mendigando en ls calles

@Mercy2ACastr: Seeing government authorities celebrating the passage of the #LeydeComunicación [#LawofCommunications] is as unpleasant as seeing the elderly and children begging in the streets

On the other hand, Isabella Buchelli B. (@IsaBuchelli) [es] reacted as follows:

@IsaBuchelli: Los que se quejan de la #LibertadDeExpresion y de la #LeydeComunicación son los que mas insultan…

@IsaBuchelli: Those who complain about #LibertadDeExpresion [#FreedomofExpression] and the #LeydeComunicación [#LawofCommunication] are the most insulting of them all…

Gabriela Rivadeneira (‏@gabrielaespais) [es], President of the National Assembly, appeared content upon the passage of the law:

‏@gabrielaespais: Desde hoy, l@s ecuatorian@s van a tener la voz para reclamar sus derechos que los medios monopólicos les han quitado #LeydeComunicación

@gabrielaespais: As of today, Ecuadorians will have a voice to demand the rights that the media monopolies have taken away from them #LeydeComunicación [#LawofCommunications]

President Rafael Correa has maintained a tense relationship with the press. According to Tania Lara on the Centro Knight blog:

The Correa administration has been characterized by the use of defamation laws to sue journalists and long official messages that interfere with the programming of independent media, according to report by the Committee for the Protection of Journalists.

Last year the Committee for the Protection of Journalists published this video about “Confrontation in Ecuador under Correa”:

The law, which contains 119 articles, now needs to be ratified by President Correa.

Julian Assange, Calle 13, and Twitter Users Write a Song Together

Sally Seward — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:21:57 +0000

There was a gathering on Twitter that few people would have expected: René Pérez, better known as “Residente” from the musical group Calle 13 —a group that resists any type of classification—, and Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, gathered ideas and suggestions from Twitter users to write a song together that will go on Calle 13′s next album.

The song will be about the manipulation of the media. The idea behind gathering suggestions from Twitter users is explained by René Pérez himself in one of his tweets:

‏@Calle13Oficial: Estamos escribiendo todas sus ideas para luego nosotros manipularlas al igual que los medios nos hacen a nosotros #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@Calle13Oficial: We are writing down all of your ideas to later manipulate them ourselves just as the media does to us #JulianAssangeCalle13

@Calle13Oficial." alt="ulian Assange and Calle 13 at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where Assange is currently staying after asking the Ecuadorian government for asylum. Photo taken from Calle 13's official Twitter account @Calle13Oficial." src="http://es.globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Calle-13-Julian-Assange-375x250.jpg" width="375" height="250" />

Julian Assange and Calle 13 at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where Assange is currently staying after asking the Ecuadorian government for asylum. Photo taken from Calle 13′s official Twitter account @Calle13Oficial.

Assange and Pérez created the hashtag #JulianAssangeCalle13 which was trending worldwide just a few minutes after the start of the event. Pérez put out a series of questions to provoke reactions from those tweeting. It should not seem strange that, in the days following the scandalous revelations made by Edward Snowden about the huge secret surveillance scheme of the United States government, some of the answers were loaded with sarcasm, others with depth, and others even with rage, but all demonstrating the incredible diversity of human beings. There were some that were simply genius. Of the thousands of answers that people wrote, hardly a tiny fraction are shown here:

‏@Calle13Oficial: ¿Por qué no confían en los servicios de seguridad? #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@Calle13Oficial: Why don't you trust the security services? #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@FabrielGara: #JulianAssangeCalle13 ¿Cómo confiaría en alguien cuyo trabajo es estar dispuesto a matarme?

‏@FabrielGara: #JulianAssangeCalle13 How could I trust someone whose job it is to be prepared to kill me?

‏@AngelCouvertier: La seguridad nacional nace y se mantiene con la sangre de los inocentes #JulianAssangeCalle13

@AngelCouvertier: National security is born of and maintained with the blood of innocent people #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@Ismael03: @Calle13Oficial porque sin saberlo se convierten en mercenarios del poder. Proteger al millonario y Servir al malhechor #JulianAssangeCalle13

@Ismael03: @Calle13Oficial because without knowing it they become the mercenaries of those in power. Protect the millionaire and Serve the criminal #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@ramaotatengue: Porque si de algo estamos seguros, es que no existe seguridad #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@ramaotatengue: Because if there is something that we are sure of, it is that security doesn't exist #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@boricua_x100pre: @Calle13Oficial Vivimos en un sistema privado, privado de libertad, privado de privacidad, privado de semillas terrenos #JulianAssangeCalle13

@boricua_x100pre: @Calle13Oficial We live in a private system, deprived of liberty, deprived of privacy, deprived of seeds and land #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@CroniQiando: @Calle13Oficial la seguridad no nos asegura bienestar. #JulianAssangeCalle13‘

‏@CroniQiando: @Calle13Oficial security does not ensure our well-being. #JulianAssangeCalle13‘

‏@KELVINTIU1: La seguridad es para pinguinos de traje corbata, en el barrio nos cuidamos todos hasta d la seguridad de los pinguinos #julianassangecalle13

@KELVINTIU1: Security is for penguins in a suit and tie, in the barrio we all take care of each other, even from the security of the penguins #julianassangecalle13

‏@peyeoropeza: Cuando nos atacan le llaman libertad,cuando nos defendemos le llaman represion.#JulianAssangeCalle13, @Calle13Oficial

‏@peyeoropeza: When they attack us, they call it liberty,when we defend ourselves they call it repression.#JulianAssangeCalle13, @Calle13Oficial

‏@Calle13Oficial: ¿Por que no confían en la justicia? #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@Calle13Oficial: Why don't you trust justice? #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@BosqueDavid: @Calle13Oficial #JulianAssangeCalle13 La justicia se ha convertido en un exclusivo bien de mercado, solo la reciben quienes la pueden pagar

@BosqueDavid: @Calle13Oficial #JulianAssangeCalle13 Justice has become an exclusive market good, only those who can pay for it receive it

‏@polilo_6: @Calle13Oficial la justicia tiene diferencias sociales hay una justicia para los ricos y otra para los pobres #JulianAssangeCalle13

@polilo_6: @Calle13Oficial justice has social differences, there is one justice for the rich and another for the poor #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@NOMASIVA1: Soy nobel de la paz pero odio al whistleblower Si desnudas mis mentiras despídete de tu vida pues te encierro o te mato #JulianAssangeCalle13

@NOMASIVA1: I am a Nobel Peace Prize winner but I hate the whistleblower If you undress my lies say goodbye to your life, I will jail you or kill you #JulianAssangeCalle13

‏@lucych7: #JulianAssangeCalle13 La justicia hoy en día no es + q una utopía, se vende en 1 esquina d cualquier ciudad, la goza quien la puede pagar

‏@lucych7: #JulianAssangeCalle13 Justice today is nothing more than a utopia, it is sold on 1 corner of any city, the one who can pay for it is the one who enjoys it

‏@riveraalvarenga: La justicia es como la serpiente, sólo muerde el pie del descalzo. #JulianAssangeCalle13 @Calle13Oficial

‏@riveraalvarenga: Justice is like a snake, it only bites the foot of the person who is barefoot. #JulianAssangeCalle13 @Calle13Oficial

You can see a Storify of the event created on Twitter by Julian Assange, René Pérez and the thousands of Twitter users who participated here [es].

Baloch Separatists Bomb Historic Residence of Pakistan's Founder

Qurratulain Zaman — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:06:45 +0000

A series of bombs planted by militant nationalists in southwestern Pakistan have destroyed the 19th-century residence of the country's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Jinnah's historic home in Ziarat, Balochistan, where he spent the last days of his life with his sister Fatima Jinnah in 1948 a year after he led Pakistan to independence, was reduced to ashes on June 15, 2013 after bombs ignited the wooden building. It was serving as a museum with Jinnah's belongings on display and was one of the popular tourist sites in Balochistan.

Separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has taken responsibility.

Pakistan's newly elected parliament condemned the attack. It also passed a unanimous resolution condemning the acts of terrorism in Balochistan, while the government announced the plan to restore Jinnah's residence.

Funkor Childart Center participated in the Children's Literature festival in Quetta in 2012 and painted the Ziarat Residene of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Used with permission.

Jinnah was the first Governor-General of Pakistan after its independence from British India in 1947 and served in the position for a year before he died. His home was iconic, featuring on the country's 100-rupee note.

Reaction on social media to the attack on his home was strong.

Jamaluddin wrote on his blog in a piece called Jinnah’s burnt Ziarat residency: A piece of Pakistan died today:

June 15, 2013 will be remembered forever. Today, the beautiful building that adorns our hundred rupee notes was burnt and destroyed by militants who flung hand grenades at Jinnah’s residency in Ziarat. All the historical photographs and furniture was destroyed. As always, the militants who committed this despicable act of senseless violence escaped unhurt.

Blogger and columnist Yusra Askari (@YusraSAskari) wrote on Twitter:

@YusraSAskari: Apologies, Mr. Jinnah, we can do no else but hang our head in shame. #Ziarat

Adil Najam (@AdilNajam), blogger and the Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences slammed the bombings:

@AdilNajam: Dastardly. Cowardly. Pathetic. Jinnah Residency in Ziarat attacked. This is attack on an idea. The idea of all of us. The idea of Pakistan.

Freedom fighter and Pashto translator Azad Pashtun (@AzadPashtun) wrote:

@AzadPashtun: Picture of Jinnah's Ziarat residence on the 100 Kaldaar will need updating. pic.twitter.com/YFNl2EIPHs

Journalist & columnist Nadeem Farooq Paracha (@NadeemfParacha) aka NFP, the author of Smoker's Corner, tweeted:

@NadeemfParacha: Maybe BLA fools blew up Jinnah's residency because they feel the state & government are not giving them as much respect as they do to TTP?

Balochistan is Pakistan's biggest but least developed province. It is witnessing the fifth separatist uprising since 1947 and according to The Economist, “this insurgency is stronger than the previous ones.” The attack on the residency shocked many in Pakistan, but not all in Balochistan.

Baloch Hal, Pakistan's first online newspaper from Balochistan, suggested in its editorial “The end of Jinnah?” that the new Pakistani government shouldn't take any actions against Baloch in haste:

The government should instead build a new monument to commemorate the Baloch youths, political activists, journalists and professors who have lost their lives in the conflict. It is meaningless to live in the past and snub the present and the future. If the central government wants to politically address the conflict, it should make sure that the Residency attack is not taken as an opportunity to launch fresh operations in Balochistan or justify the kill and dump operations.

Baloch Hal is blocked in Pakistan. Malik Siraj Akbar, the editor in chief of Baloch Hal like many other Baloch intellectuals lives in the USA.

Pakistani-Canadian writer, broadcaster and a secular Muslim anti-Islamist activist Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) wrote:

@TarekFatah (Tarek Fatah): Baloch guerrillas fighting Pakistan occupation, bomb home of country's founder, MA Jinnah. Before-&-after picture. pic.twitter.com/TMF5oe6OYX

Exiled Pakistani journalist and editor-in-chief of The Baloch Hal Malik Siraj Akbar (@MalikSirajAkbar) noted possible hypocrisy in the reaction to the attack:

@MalikSirajAkbar (Malik Siraj Akbar): Jinnah's biggest portrait was smashed outside Ayub Stadium in Quetta in 2006: no reactions. The Residency wasn't even his house

Fasih Ahmed (@therealfasih), Newsweek Pakistan's Editor and first Daniel Pearl Fellow, 2003 wrote:

@therealfasih (Fasih Ahmed): Taliban have killed children, attacked shrines, GHQ. Yet the attack on a house Jinnah stayed at for a few months is the real outrage? #Hello

Investigative Journalism in Indonesia

Mong Palatino — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:12:31 +0000

Akhlis Purnomo laments the state of investigative journalism in Indonesia.

…there has not been much of investigative journalism in Indonesia. Most of them are not even investigative, but more like reportage on everyday issues….These are then labelled as investigative by producers and TV stations.

#4M Social Media and Journalism Conference

Suzanne Lehn — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:33:44 +0000

Claire Ulrich moderating the workshop “What role for bloggers and citizen journalists within newsrooms?” at 4M 2013 Montpellier (photo by Suzanne Lehn)

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Rupert's divorce creates buzz in China

Oiwan Lam — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:44:29 +0000

The media mogul Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from his Chinese-born wife Wendi Deng. Deng is his third wife and they have two daughters. The divorce has prompted a wave of speculation online that she married Americans with ulterior motives of climbing the social letter and getting richer. ChinaSmack looks at the online reactions.

Anonymous ‘Baba Jukwa’ Facebook Dishes Dirt on Zimbabwe Politics

Madalitso Mwando — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:31:56 +0000

A new Facebook phenomenon has Zimbabwe talking as elections approach. An anonymous character calling himself Baba Jukwa (BJ) has become a major talking point as Zimbabweans hungry for political intrigue visit “his” Facebook wall to get the latest on what is happening in President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) political party.

BJ, as he is called, is said to be a member of ZANU-PF’s inner circle and describes himself as a “Concerned father, fighting nepotism and directly linking community with their Leaders, Government, MPs and Ministers” and is dishing the dirt on the party, much to the delight of his followers.

It is however suspected that BJ is a group of people who post regular updates from different parts of the country, but whatever the case, BJ, with 144,104 Facebook likes at the time of writing this post, has forever changed Zimbabwean politics and how social media is appropriated in contemporary political discourse ahead of elections expected this year.

Baba Jukwa's profile photo. Photo source: Baba Jukwa Facebook page.

Most of his revelations include the names and sometimes telephone numbers of politicians, intelligence officers and army officials. In one of his posts, he talks about corruption involving a Chinese firm and officials from the president's office and indigenisation office.

Whilst Zimbabwe is saying China is here to help, only government officials and Zanu goons are benefiting. Can I share with you this information; there is a company which is being run by a Chinese guy Tsao Xuecheng. It has been operating for the past 5 years. It’s the company that installed new elevators at Zanu pf recently. Shamu and other Zanu goons got their shares in this deal. On the 14 of May the company was paid US$250 000 as deposit to install a new CID HQ. The material is on its way from China. This Chinese guy works with Kasukuwere and Neville Mutsvengwa from indigenisation office.

In another post, he names an ICT expert trained in surveillance who pretend to be working for a railways company:

Patrons at Belgravia sports club are advised that there is an operative who is spending much time there these days by your place. He is an ICT guru and covers by working for a Railways company. He is well trained in tracking, and very good those close to the Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

He names the people who were behind Zimbabwe involvement in the Second Congo War:

Zimbabwe do you know that the Zimbabwe National Army’s involvement in the DRC conflict was motivated more by Mugabe, Mnangagwa and the military junta’s desire to enrich themselves on Congo’s rich natural resources? Among them was Robert Mhlanga, a former Air Force Vice-Marshal and Mugabe’s personal helicopter pilot, who retired a millionaire shortly after his tour in the DRC. This thug Robert Mhlanga was also a key state witness in the treason trial against MDC President, Morgan Tsvangirai in 2003.

He describes Zanu PF's planned tactics to rig this year's election:

Those who follow this page would remember that some weeks ago i posted that Zanu Pf's rigging machinery is divided into three stages, namely registration and inspection,campaigning and finally voting and counting.

I told in the first stage has been confirmed by the most unlikely source,Amai Mujuru [...] Be that as it is, my message today is that Zanu Pf has recently resolved to shift a gear up in its rigging strategy,that is,stage 2, Campaign Stage,thereby prompting me to come back to you Zimbabwe so that you won't duped by these cunning old people.

His mysterious air and revelations have got many talking. Zimbabwean comedian Carl Joshua Ncube (@CarlJoshuaNcube) wrote:

@CarlJoshuaNcube: my non Zimbabwean friends asking me who Baba Jukwa is and I am like “all I know is that he is a short little white
man with a walking stick”

Zimbabwean journalist Mike Madoda (@mikemadoda) described BJ's popularity:

@mikemadoda: I dare say this Baba Jukwa fella is now more popular/infamous (depending on ur affiliation) than Jonathan Moyo [Jonathan Moyo is the much maligned former Information Minister] was at his zenith.

Citizen journalism site Living Zimbabwe asked Zimbabweans on Facebook:

Given the nature of the content that Baba Jukwa shares with the world, do you think he (or they) could have an impact on Zimbabwe's political landscape?

Because of what appears to be BJ's incredible insider knowledge of ZANU-PF, Twitter user Madzibaba Sir Revita (@AwkwardZimbo) made a request:

@AwkwardZimbo: Baba Jukwa should do us all a favour and expose Bona Mugabe's [Bona is President Robert Mugabe’s daughter] Instagram account

A not-so-impressed Conor Walsh (@ConorMWalsh) asked:

@ConorMWalsh: Does Baba Jukwa really think a terminally deformed formation like ZanuPF can reform itself?

The state broadcaster (@zbc_news) made fun of BJ’s growing popularity:

@zbc_news: While y'all busy counting the number of “likes” on Baba Jukwa's fb page, we are already counting our votes for the next election – Zanu PF.

Mushongera (@GMushongera) poked fun at the powers-that-be:

@Mushongera: Accessing Baba Jukwa right in front of the parliament. Tapanduka! [We have rebelled] — Africa Unity Square: an Internet hotspot http://t.co/FBTcA8YnF6

And the influence and popularity of BJ seems to have reached others shores outside Zimbabwe. Blogger Sir Nigel (@SirNige) reported:

@SirNige: @stanleykwenda: So some young boys in UK are setting up a Baba Jukwa & Mai Jukwa fashion label” //Serious?

According to Jeffrey Smith (@Smith_RFKennedy) BJ has started blogging:

@Smith_RFKennedy: #Zimbabwe: Notorious & increasingly popular ZANU-PF mole, promises “darker secrets,” starts new website:
http://zimbabwean-at-heart.com/ @BabaJukwa

Eve Queeniie Parkes commented on Facebook that BJ has made Zimbabwean politics more interesting:

FROM MAKANDIWA AND ANGEL [popular local "prophets"] TO MAI AND BABA JUKWA ZIM POLITICS GETTING INTRESTING [sic] LIKE NEVER BEFORE WAS SO TIRED OF THEM FAKE PROPHETS SICK STUNTS….

The BJ excitement has been irresistible for even non-Zimbabwean bloggers such as Joel B. Pollak who thinks BJ's impact could have been widespread if more people had access to Internet in the country:

If only more than 1 in 6 Zimbabweans had Internet access, it might make more of a difference.

Visit BJ's Facebook page for what is happening behind the scene in Zimbabwean politics.

Australian DJ Asks PM if Partner is Gay

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:03:22 +0000

Mia Freedman of popular website Mamamia attacks the “disgraceful” behaviour of shock jock Howard Sattler when he asked Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard whether her partner Tim was gay. [Wikipedia: 'A shock jock is a type of radio broadcaster or disc jockey who entertains listeners or attracts attention using humor and/or melodramatic exaggeration that a notable portion of the listening audience may find offensive.']

Syria: 18 Journalists Killed in January

Rami Alhames — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:27:24 +0000

Freedom of the Press worldwide in 2013. Source: Reporters without Borders on Facebook

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Syria: Old Homs Under Siege for a Year

Rami Alhames — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:44:24 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests

This month marks the first anniversary of the siege of the old city of Homs, often described as the capital of the Syrian Revolution. Homs, one of the first revolutionary Syrian cities to revolt against the tyranny of Bashar Al Assad, along with 14 neighborhoods and districts of the old city, including Baba Amr, Bab Sbaa, Khalidiya and Deir Balba, has been subjected to bombardment by the Syrian regime, shelling and raids for more than two years, making the daily survival even harder as food and medical supplies dwindle.

Homs…city under siege
by abdulrahman-romano

In November 2012, Global Voices Online ran a post entitled Homs, A Revolutionary Syrian City in Ruins. The “siege” of the 14 neighborhoods in Homs is a special case – and is not similar to other Syrian cities. It is a reminder of the siege of Gaza. However, in Homs there are no secret tunnels to smuggle basic supplies, medical aid and injured and sick people. In Homs, a few thousand people are trapped in an area where there were 400,000 people residing. jeydt23 reported on Storify:

What is being called the Siege of Homs is arguably the most intense war zone in all of Syria at the moment. The siege has been going on for months with the death tolls on both sides of the conflict adding up daily. Below are pictures, tweets, and videos of the people striving to survive.

In old Homs, there is no agricultural land to grow vegetables and fruit, resulting in shortages in food supplies. This video shows children picking leaves and complaining about the lack of food:

There is also no hospital or medical center, [Al Amal Hospital was fully destroyed on April 1, 2012]. Instead, some [warning: link to graphic video showing an injured person undergoing an operation without anesthesia] makeshift hospitals rely on trainees to serve patients.

The government has also cut services such as electricity, water or communications in the besieged neighbourhoods. Instead, the survival of the inhabitants depends on water from wells, electricity generators and the use of satellite communications. There are no schools, universities or educational institutions. Instead, hundreds of children are living daily bombings and continuous daily shelling by mortar, rocket launchers, long-range missiles, tanks and warplane raids.

Syrian activists posted this video on the Facebook page of Break the siege of Homs on June 6, 2013, revealing the destruction of the city.

The blog Greater Syria posted a heart-breaking story under the title Yasin and Maryam Sabbagh…End the Siege on Homs, which describes the murder of a brother and sister (Yassin and Maryam) who were killed by a mortar bomb, fired by the regime’s forces in pro-regime districts, while playing outside their home. A video of their martyrdom with an emotional comment said:

A short while ago, a piece of news stabbed my heart hard and petrified my eyes in disbelief. [.....] Maryam and Yassin Sabbagh drawing what their life has been limited to: mortars, shelling, darkness, fear, and destruction; deprived from education, from schools, from having friends and neighbours to play with, from enjoying the blessings of life like world’s children, from food and sanitary water, from electricity, from everything..

Break the siege of Homs. Source Facebook page

On his Facebook page, Yazan Homsi calls upon Syrians to support the revolution and not let the martyrs down. He posted a letter written by an activist who reminded all Syrian activists of their pledge to protect the revolution until it achieves its goals:

عتب شهيد على كل متخاذل ….
تاريخ الكتابة 9-6-2013 حمص – المنطقة المحاصرة
تاريخ الشهادة 10-6-2013 حمص – المنطقة المحاصرة

A reproach from a martyr for everyone not living up to his duty…
Written Date 09/06/2013 Homs – the besieged area
Martyrdom Date 10/06/2013 Homs – the besieged area

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests

PRISM Infects Russia with Cyberwar Scare

Kevin Rothrock — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:38:51 +0000

Brace yourself. The cyberwar is coming.

Since last week, when the world learned about PRISM, a vast and secret American electronic surveillance program, Russian state officials have expressed renewed concerns about foreign social networks posing a national security threat. One day after news of the U.S. program broke, on June 7, 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told [ru] reporters that websites like Facebook and Twitter are elements of a larger American campaign against Russia:

Через них идет мощнейшая манипуляция общественным мнением, ведь всякие “лайки” и прочие кнопки, которые вы там нажимаете, моментально вводят вас в определенные группы, которые потом анализируются, систематизируются. […] Тем самым увеличивается количество тех людей, которые начинают получать специальную контентную информацию, подрывающую авторитет власти и ценности государства. […]

Through them [American social networks], there’s a powerful, ongoing manipulation of public opinion—indeed, every “like” and every click instantly lands you in a certain group, which is then analyzed and classified. […] In doing so, rising is the number of people, who start receiving special content that undermines the authority and value of the state. […]

Dmitry Rogozin, as Russian Ambassador to NATO and Special Envoy on missile defense, 29 June 2011, photo by Security & Defence Agenda, CC 2.0.

Just yesterday, June 11, in a letter [ru] to Rogozin and other security figures, Duma deputy Ilya Kostunov called for tighter regulations on state officials’ Internet activity, based on the worry that Russian bureaucrats commonly discuss or upload government secrets in communications hosted on American websites (namely, Google’s email service, Gmail). In an exchange [ru] on Twitter, Kostunov discussed the possible implementation of his proposed regulations, running into some disagreement about the need for additional legislation and the proper criminal classification of uploading secret materials to a foreign Web host.

Communications expert Petr Pervushkin argued [ru] that a closed virtual network for private communications has already existed in the Russian government for seven years, though another Twitter user put that figure [ru] closer to four years. Just Russia party functionary Aleksandr Luchin noted that rules are already in place to forbid discussing state secrets on Internet sites like Google and Facebook, but acknowledged [ru] that regulations fail to set penalties. Luchin proposed tying such infractions to the criminal codes against disclosing state secrets (though he didn't specify [ru] if he had in mind Article 283 or 284, which threaten maximum imprisonment up to four and three years, respectively), whereas Kostunov has advocated equating such behavior with treason (article 275), which carries a prison sentence up to twenty years. (This push for classifying the offense under treason prompted qz.com reporter Leo Mirani to declare, perhaps hyperbolically, that Russia is “stepping up its war on social networks.”)

Meanwhile, blogger and RuNet guru Anton Nosik claims [ru] that station management refused to air his recent appearance on OTR, Russia’s all-new public broadcasting television channel, when during the recording he criticized Rogozin’s comments about the supposed American cyberwar against Russia. Nosik took part in an episode of the show “The Social Network,” answering a series of RuNet-related questions that began with one about Rogozin's remarks. After four days of silence following his visit to the studio, Nosik took to LiveJournal for a second time to discuss [ru] the curious absence from OTR's official website [ru] of his appearance:

Как я и предполагал, моё интервью […] не попал ни в их загадочный эфир, ни даже на сайт. Потому что, как выясняется, для этого супернезависимого телеканала неприкасаемыми фигурами являются не только Путин и Собянин, но и вице-премьер Рогозин. Самое время Общественному телевидению открывать программы про кошечек, собачек и кулинарию.

As I expected, my interview […] has appeared nowhere in [the station’s] mysterious feed, or even on the website. Because, it turns out, for this super-independent TV channel, the untouchable figures aren’t limited to Putin and Sobyanin, but even include Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin. OTR might as well launch shows about kitties, doggies, and cooking.

Nosik doesn’t often respond to the hundreds of reader comments that follow his blog posts, but one audience member did provoke a reaction, when he accused [ru] Nosik of adopting an approach “inappropriate to television,” arguing that he attacked Rogozin too early in the broadcast, without “nuance” or first establishing the context of his criticism. Nosik wrote back [ru] to say that he’s never encountered such problems in the hundreds of interviews he’s granted to other TV channels over the past twenty years.

While it’s true that OTR has yet to air or even post to its website Nosik’s segment, his thirteen-minute interview is accessible on OTR’s official YouTube channel (see above). The station’s troubles with Nosik come the same week as another censorship scandal [ru] surrounding a different unaired episode of “The Social Network,” wherein hosts Vladislav Sorokin and Ekaterina Voronina poked fun at Vladimir Putin’s recent divorce, sharing mashable.com’s faux dating profile for Russia’s now-single head-of-state. When the station declined to telecast the episode “for technical reasons” [ru], Sorokin and Voronina announced on Facebook [ru] that they would resign from the show at the end of the month.

The thumbnail image used in this post is by Kevin Rothrock, created using Memegenerator.net. Visit Memegenerator.net to caption your own memes.

Senegal's Democratic Tradition Takes Worrisome Turn

Anna Gueye — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:40:06 +0000

[All links forward to French-language webpages unless otherwise noted.]

Senegal has a solid tradition of democracy and protection of freedom of expression and human rights. But recent months have seen the West African nation's reputation as a stronghold for democracy in Africa seriously damaged with the evictions of a Chadian journalist and Gambian dissident, both opponents of the governments in their home countries.

Chadian [en] blogger and journalist Makaila Nguebla [en], an opponent of his country's President Idriss Déby [en] who has ruled Chad for more than two decades, was deported on May 8, 2013 to neighboring Guinea. Nguebala runs a highly critical blog about his country's regime.

Well-known Gambian [en] opponent Kukoi Samba Sanyang [en], who led the 1981 rebellion against the regime of former President Dawda Kaïraba Diawara, was expelled April 17, 2013 to Mali.

Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, author for the Senegalese weekly Le Témoin, detailed Senegal's democratic character, giving credit to the country's first President Leopold Sedar Senghor, a poet and intellectual who served from 1960 to 1980, in his post titled “Senegal, your excellent traditions are falling apart!“:

Le Sénégal n’a ni or (ou alors très peu, dans la région de Kédougou), ni diamants, encore moins du pétrole, du gaz ou de l’uranium … De plus, la pluviométrie n’y est pas abondante et la plupart de nos paysans ne travaillent que trois mois dans l’année … Malgré tout, notre pays tient une place honorable dans le concert des nations africaines. Et, à franchement parler, il a un niveau de développement que beaucoup de pays incroyablement gâtés par la nature nous envient. Cela est dû, bien sûr, à la qualité des ressources humaines du Sénégal produites par un système éducatif de qualité mis en place par le premier président de la République, le poète, agrégé de grammaire et académicien Léopold Sédar Senghor. Un système public d’éducation dont l’actuel Président est un pur produit, soit dit en passant. … Ce niveau de développement enviable, notre pays le doit aussi à sa stabilité politique légendaire qui a fait que, depuis l’indépendance en 1960, il n’a jamais connu de coup d’Etat militaire. En Afrique, notre pays est l’un des rares à avoir toujours été gouverné par un pouvoir civil. Et au moment où partout ailleurs, les pouvoirs militaires étaient la règle, le Sénégal a constitué une joyeuse exception, un îlot de démocratie dans un océan de dictatures … Bref, de quelque côté qu’on le prenne, le Sénégal a toujours fait figure d’exception en Afrique.

Senegal has neither gold (or very little, in the Kedougou region) nor diamonds, let alone oil, gas or uranium … In addition, rainfall is not abundant and most of our farmers only work three months per year … However, our country holds an honorable place among the African nations. And frankly speaking, Senegal has a level of development that many other countries with more natural blessings would envy. This is, of course, due to the quality of human resources in Senegal which is itself, a byproduct of the quality of the educational system established by the first President of the Republic of Senegal Leopold Sedar Senghor. Senghor was also a poet, a grammar scholar and the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. By the way the current president is a pure product of this same public educational system. … This enviable standard of development, our country also owes it to its legendary political stability; since its independence in 1960, it has never experienced a military coup. In Africa, our country is one of the few to have only been governed by civil authorities. And when everywhere else, military authorities were the rule, Senegal was a happy exception; an island of democracy in a sea of dictatorships … Anyway, whichever way you see, Senegal has always been an exception in Africa.

But some consider that Senegal has moved away from that legacy left by Sedar Senghor. Last year, former President Abdoulaye Wade [en], who was accused during his tenure corruption, nepotism and curtailing freedom of the press, was defeated in his highly criticized bid for a third term [en] in office.

With Wade’s regime at an end, some expected a return to those democratic roots. But these recent measures taken by the current government raise questions about its commitment to do so.

Even Wade, who was much criticized [en] during his regime, was always respectful of Senegal's tradition as a host country for freedom of speech activists. The failure of Wade's government was not about free speech activists, but was not regularizing the situation of refugees.

As deported Chadian blogger Nguebala told Global Voices :

“Under Abdoulaye Wade's regime, I was never arrested once by the police”

A coalition called “Right of Asylum and Freedom of Expression” was created to demand Nguebla’s return. In the following video, the coalition unpacks the context of the evicitions and the risks that the bloggers are facing:

Boly BAH, journalist for La Gazette (a Senegalese website) called for the sliding of Senegal's democracy to be stopped in his post “The Deviant Turn of a Democracy“:

Une dérive à stopper. Qui est le prochain sur la liste ? En moins de deux mois, le Sénégal a chassé deux opposants africains de Dakar. … C’est une concession grave à des régimes anti-démocratiques … Cette expulsion d’un défenseur des droits humains et leader d’opinion vers la Guinée, un pays « non sûr » et en proie à des tensions politiques, laisse apparaître un deal entre les autorités politiques sénégalaises et tchadiennes, en vue d’extrader Makaila Nguebla au Tchad où sa vie est menacée.
Le combat sera mené jusqu’au retour de Makaila et de Kukoi Samba Sanyang. …

Les pays n’ont pas d’ami mais des intérêts. En procédant aux expulsions de Kukoi Samba Sanyang, le Sénégal défend peut-être les relations de bon voisinage avec la Gambie. Et fait un clin d’œil à Yaya Jammeh, président gambien au cœur du règlement du conflit de la Casamance. La Gambie avait même facilité la libération des otages sénégalais, il y a quelques mois. C’est peut-être compréhensible de lui renvoyer la monnaie en expulsant son opposant-rebelle, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. Avec le Tchad, certes, il n’y a pas cette grande amitié, mais la nouvelle posture africaine de Idrisss Deby Itno vaut peut-être cette largesse.

Deby a le vent en poupe et avec sa forte colonie militaire dans le désert malien, le président tchadien est en pleine puissance sous-régionale. Le Tchad contribue aussi au financement du procès d’Habré. Maintenant, si le jugement d’Habré participe au renforcement de l’indépendance judiciaire africaine, l’expulsion de Makaïla reste plutôt suspecte. Le blogueur était un combattant de la démocratie. Un relais entre son peuple et l’extérieur. Il était la voix des sans voix tchadiennes, il informait des dérives de Deby parce que bénéficiant de cette liberté d’expression qui fait défaut à ses confrères restés au pays.

This drifting away from our legacy has to be stopped. Who is next on the list? In less than two months, Senegal deported two African political activists. … This is a serious concession to all anti-democratic regimes… This deportation of a human rights activist and opinion leader to Guinea, an “unsafe” country plagued by political tensions suggests a deal between Senegalese and Chadian political authorities. Next might be the extradition of Makaila Nguebla back to Chad where his life is under threat.

This struggle will continue until both Makaila and Kukoi Samba Sanyang return. …

Countries do not have friends, they have interests. In carrying out the evictions of Kukoi Samba Sanyang, Senegal may be maintaining good relations with the Gambia. He might also reach out to Yaya Jammeh, the Gambian President who is at the heart of the conflict in Casamance. Gambia has even facilitated the release of some Senegalese hostages in Gambia a few months ago. It is perhaps understandable to pay him back by expelling his rebellious opponent, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. With Chad, of course, there is no such great friendship, but Idriss Deby’s new african posture (his involvment in Mali) might be worth it.

Deby is on the rise and with his strong military forces in the desert of Mali, Chad's president is showing his full might in the region. Chad also contributes to the financing of [former leader of Chad Hissène] Habré’s trial. Now the Habré trial may help strengthen African judicial independence but on the other hand, Makaila’s deportation is rather dubious. The blogger was an advocate of democracy, a bridge between his people and the outside world. He was the voice of those Chadians without a voice; he informed the world about Deby’s excess because he enjoyed freedom of expression that his colleagues back home could not have.

Another recent issue is also symptomatic of the worrisome turn taken by Senegal on the protection of human rights.

Taking advantage of the media circus in Senegal caused by these two cases, a member of parliament of the presidential majority wants to file a bill for the return of death penalty. Senegal abolished the death penalty in 2004 and the last execution was held in 1967.

Even Fekke Maci Bolle, a political movement led Youssou N'Dour, the current Minister of Culture and Tourism, has come out against this bill. The movement published its stance on its Facebook page:

Celui ou celle qui affirme que l'on vit confortablement dans le couloir de la mort n'y a de toute évidence jamais mis les pieds … On voit rarement une personne riche ou aisée monter à la potence … La peine de mort est la négation absolue des droits humains. Il s’agit d'un meurtre commis par l'État, avec préméditation et de sang-froid. Ce châtiment cruel, inhumain et dégradant est infligé au nom de la justice.
Cette peine viole le droit à la vie inscrit dans la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme.
Amnesty International s'oppose à la peine de mort en toutes circonstances, quels que soient la nature du crime commis, les caractéristiques de son auteur ou la méthode utilisée par l'État pour l'exécuter.

Whoever says that one lives comfortably on death row has obviously never been there … You rarely see a rich or wealthy person being executed … Death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is a planned and cold-blooded murder committed by the State. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is inflicted in the name of justice.
It violates the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or how he committed the crime.

Solutions Journalism Without Borders

Paula Góes — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:44:45 +0000

“Worldcrunch Impact, solutions without borders” is a collaborative funding campaign for “the first truly global effort at Solutions Journalism”. With the project, Paris-based Worldcrunch hopes to report on one urgent issue monthly, offering “not just the problems, but real solutions”. The project will be funded if at least $15,000 is pledged by July 3, 2013. With 23 days to go, the Kickstarter campaign has 84 backers donating $6,630.