Global Voices » Photography

Puerto Rico: Life One Photo a Day

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:47:27 +0000

The artist and producer Jose Marti (@Jose_Marti) has shot one picture a day for the past two years as part of his online project “Fotos de Hoy” (Photos of Today).

He explains:

Dentro de los temas que publico en su mayoría son fotos casuales donde la foto me encuentra a mí en vez de yo buscarla y bien pueden ser fotos de la ciudad, de mi casa o donde quiera que me encuentre por que en realidad lo importante es expresar algo sobre el momento, donde estoy, que estoy haciendo, etc. Ese es el elemento que me ha llevado ha constantemente publicar en Fotos de Hoy, el poder visualmente resumir semanas y diversas experiencias en un compilado accesible por internet.

They are mostly casual photos, where the photograph finds me instead of me looking for the photograph, and they may well be pictures of the city, my home or wherever it finds me because what is really important is to express something about the moment, where I am, what I'm doing, etc.. That is the element that has led me to constantly publish in “Photos of Today,” to be able to visually summarize weeks and diverse experiences that are accessible online.

I have selected some of his pictures of Old San Juan, the colonial city of the capital of San Juan, Puerto Rico (all photos are republished with his permission). You can follow his visual life daily at Fotos de Hoy.

City with a View.

San José Church.

The window.

Beach El Escambrón.

Fort El Morro.

Bar El Batey.

Luna Street.

Israel: The Lie, the Truth and the Meme (of the Soldier and the Girl)

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:52:05 +0000

The photograph below, of a soldier stepping on a little girl, has been circulating on the social web for the past few days, claimed to be of an IDF soldier and a Palestinian girl. Wesley Muhammad who posted it claimed to have seen it on someone else's news feed with that caption, and wonders why it went viral from his page. Within two days the photo (now discarded) received over 500 comments, including some claims the photo is fake.

Yossi Gavni reposted the photo highlighting the main claims that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) doesn't carry that kind of weapon and has no such uniforms, and that photo circulated mainly among Israelis. Apparently, the photo was tweeted last year in French, claiming this is actually from Syria's demonstrations and asking for it to spread. However, Arab blogger Omar Dakhane found the original photo (below), which is neither from Syria nor Israel but a street theater performance in Bahrain.

This story could have ended here with a lesson not to believe everything that circulates out there in the age of media manipulation and virality, but apparently some Israelis have decided the best response to a viral lie is a humorous meme. In the last 24 hours many photos replacing the soldier with different characters have been circulating on Facebook, initiated by 10Gag, the Israeli answer to 9Gag humor and memes generator.

For example, a photo where the soldier was replaced by a dog wearing real IDF uniform, probably also responding humorously to earlier allegations that IDF trains dogs to attack Palestinians. Other entities stepping on that girl included an empire soldier from Star Wars, the Angry Birds, the Android, the Avatar N'aavi, Chuck Norris and more.

By turning the photo into a meme, Israelis are saying in “social media language” that such a situation is ridiculous and fictional, although Wesley Muhammad who started the viral spread concludes: ”I took the photo down (even though that type of thing DOES happen in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)”. In response, Shani Yaakov posted a collage of pictures titled “this is the true picture of the IDF” (below) in which soldiers are seen in positive and friendly interactions with Palestinians. As for the truth, as always, it's probably somewhere in the middle.

Cambodia: Photos of Senate Elections

Mong Palatino — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:48:26 +0000

Lauren Crothers posts pictures of the recent senate elections in Cambodia. The pictures were taken at Boeng Trabek high school in Phnom Penh.

Malaysia: Biofuels and Deforestation

Mong Palatino — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:04:36 +0000

Shreeya Sinha of Asia Society interviews James Whitlow Delano who has been documenting the impact of bio-fuels and deforestation in Malaysia

India: Jaipur Literature Fest Fashion

Rezwan — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:55:15 +0000

Jaipur Literature Festival, the largest literary festival in Asia-Pacific, has recently ended. Wearabout blog posts some pictures of festival fashion among the eclectic mix of men from all over; artists, poets, writers, intellectuals, pseudo-intellectuals, serious journalists, idlers, socialites etc.

Video Highlights: Music, Indigenous Initiatives, Indignation and Wonder

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:44:07 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel or by clicking on the regional header links.

Music and Indigenous Initiatives

Latin America

Brazil: Cultural Debate as ‘Oh if I Catch You' Song Goes Global

Music has spurred an ongoing debate in Brazil, as netizens realize they have a new cultural ambassador which they may not have chosen themselves. In this case, it is Michel Teló's song ‘Ai se eu te pego‘ which not only became the rhythm played over and over during the end of the year festivities, but has also crossed borders, even getting its own versions in English, Polish and Dutch.

Peru: Cápac Raymi, The Andean Christmas

In Peru, the Incan culture is still alive in most of the Andean region, and Christmas is a time when they have united their pre-Columbian traditions with the later Christian festivities. The festival of Capac Raymi takes place in December coinciding with the Winter Solstice and honors the Sun. Although the holiday is no longer observed as it was during the reign of the Incas, it has transformed into an Andean Christmas, where Christmas choirs sing in Quechua with Andean musical instruments and dances:

Another strong cultural group in Peru is the Afro-Peruvian community and they have also left their mark in how Peruvians celebrate Christmas:

Peru: Afro-Peruvian Christmas Music

The song “Black Christmas” by Cesar Calvo is a lament, where they sing to Baby Jesus who was born in a manger, but with a slight difference, he is black as the people surrounding him:

Washed by the night
Just like you and me
Born among blacks
the Baby Jesus.

Don't come down, Baby,
from your altar,
lest the master
has you whipped.

Venezuela: The Essence of African Music in Videos

African heritage in Venezuela has also strongly influenced the music, and online video is being used to spread the knowledge of the African Diaspora and Afro-Venezuelan Caribbean culture.

From Canada comes a video journalist with a project: To visit one country per week and to record the stories of under-reported minorities.

Video: One Year, One World and 52 Different Stories

So far she is still raising funds for this one year journey where she would be recording, editing and producing short documentaries from the road. A short video of her visit with the Embera indigenous communities in Panama gives us a promising look into the type of content she'd be delivering once her project takes off:

Video: Online Media by and for Indigenous People

Check out the list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues that Indigenous Cry shared.

Indignation

In Guatemala, indignation has overwhelmed citizens after investigative journalism uncovered that the President of the Chamber of Agriculture of that country had children under 14 years of age working in his sugar cane fields. Cane cutting is considered very physically demanding even for adults, and the conditions under which the cane cutters work contrast with the growth of the sugar industry.

Guatemala: Child Labor in the Sugar Cane Fields

The video, made under the guise of a photographic project to make portraits using an old fashioned camera shows the workers, including children who work long days without even making minimum wage:

In Brazil, the indignation has been caused by the violent forced evictions in what is being called a massacre:

Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho” Causes an Uproar

Urbanist and UN Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik reported:

Thousands of men, women, children and elderly residents of the Pinheirinho occupation are surprised by a siege consisting of helicopters, armored vehicles and more than 1,800 armed men of the military police. In addition to the exits of the occupation being blocked, the water, electricity and telephone were cut, and the order was for families to gather to begin the process of retreat. Determined to resist - as the repossession had been suspended on Friday - the residents did not accept the command, initiating a dramatically violent situation that lasted all day and that has resulted in homeless families, people injured, arrests and rumors, including of the existence of fatalities.

East Asia

Hong Kong residents are becoming outraged: the cultural clashes have citizens and bloggers in a tense situation where any event is cause for fury:

China and Hong Kong: Train Scuffle Ignites Cross-Border Fury

Hong Kong Rethinks its Relationship with Mainland China

While bloggers in Hong Kong complain about their stretched resources and bubble economy, seeing the mainlanders as the intruders and sharing music videos where Mainland Chinese are compared to locusts, others such as Grey Reporter see both parties as victims of the system:

Actually, Hong Kongers and mainlanders share the same destiny – to end the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party and the collusion between the rich and the powerful.

Wonder

Middle East & North Africa

Jordan: Let it Snow

Snow in Jordan had people whipping out their mobile phones and documenting the long awaited snow fall, even if it didn't stick.

But in case you are in a place where the snow does stick, what about checking out the video tutorial on how to build an igloo with just snow and a knife?

Eastern and Central Europe

CEE: A “Safe House” and an Igloo

Jordan: Let it Snow

Ali Alhasani — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:39:47 +0000

The long awaited white visitor has arrived to Jordan, after a couple of dry cold fronts it came and quickly melted. It didn't even accumulate but it brought in lots of joy and happiness to people eager for it.

As soon as it started snowing in the mountainous regions of Jordan (around 1,000 meters above sea level), a flow of tweets and Facebook posts, along with photographs and videos, started making the rounds on social media. In Jordan, citizen journalism plays it's role very well since almost everyone owns a smart phone connected to the Internet at all times.

Netizens were not only commenting on the snow and weather, but giving their followers updates on traffic caused by snow as well as warnings of slippery roads here and there.

Hanin Abu-Shamat, @HaninSh, tweeted this photograph of snow falling in her area in Amman:

Snow in Amman, Jordan. Photo credit: Hanin Abu Shamat, shared on Twitpic

Elwan Bader, @kharooof tweeted this picture from Queen Rania Street in Amman, aka University Street:

A photograph of snow on Queen Rania Street in Amman. Photo shared on Twitter by Alwan Bader

@BaselAnabtawi lives in Dubai, UAE, and he tweeted this picture on behalf of his sister who lives in Amman:

Man, the view from our house in Amman! It's snowing .. My sister just sent me this! Mashallah, enjoy it #amman

Snow from Basel Anabtawi sister's house in Amman, Jordan. Photo shared on Twitter

The photograph tweeted by Dima Haddadin (@Haddadin) of a young man directing traffic in one of Amman's traffic lights after it broke down gave Jordanians online a sense of pride of how the everyday citizens can help solve a big problem such as traffic. People talked about the photograph and shared it on all social networks:

A young Jordanian directs traffic after the traffic sign broke down. Photo shared by Dima Haddadin on yfrog

Netizens also shared numerous videos of snowfall across Jordan. Here are videos I shared on YouTube showing snow falling in two different areas in Amman:

All in all, snow brings joy and happiness to the people of Jordan and hope that the upcoming cold fronts would bring more snow to the lower areas in Amman, which fall below 1,000m above sea level.

North Korea: Kim Jong-Un Looking at Things.

Lee Yoo Eun — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:29:52 +0000

There was once the internet meme named “Kim Jong-il Looking at Things“, a collection of photographs of Kim visiting government facilities the net users have gathered together to mock his authoritative posture. After Kim died last year, net users have launched a new version, “Kim Jong-un Looking at Things” as appeared in Kotaku site.

Puerto Rico: The 365 Project

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:12:06 +0000

The online edition of the magazine Cruce has published some of the photographs the photojournalist José Rodrigo Madera [es] shot as part of his 365 project: a photo for every day of the year 2011. (All of the photos were originally posted on his Facebook account)

Russia: Rooftop Krasnoyarsk Pictures

Alexey Sidorenko — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:46:49 +0000

Raskalov_vit shares mind-blowing rooftop pictures of snowy Krasnoyarsk, city in Siberia. On the pictures: bridges, snow and heating steam, multi-storey houses mixed with industrial landscapes.

Global: Pictures Not for Free

Onnik Krikorian — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:40:32 +0000

Edmond Terakopian, one of the UK's leading press photographers, comments on the tendency for some publications to expect photojournalists to supply images for free or for a token payment. The ethnic-Armenian World Press Photo Award winner is also using a Twitter hashtag, #picturesnotfree.

Puerto Rico: Beautiful Old San Juan

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:53:36 +0000

Blogger Yésica Isabel offers her readers another beautiful photo-essay of her neighborhood: Old San Juan.

Russia: Yakutsk Cold Without Cure

Vilhelm Konnander — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:48:19 +0000

eYakutia recounts why Yakutsk has internationally become known as the coldest city in the world, as temperatures now reach under -50 degrees Centigrade, and posts pictures from the frozen city.

Russia: Return to Photoshop Politics

Vilhelm Konnander — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:50:49 +0000

Catherine Fitzpatrick of Minding Russia and Bruce Chapman of Russia Blog draw attention to a “kompromat” photoshop scam directed against opposition activist Aleksei Navalny, and how this false photo now repels against its pro-Putin initiators.

Côte d'Ivoire: Uproar Over Unauthorized Press Use of Blogger's Photos

Dawn Montague — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:01:57 +0000

Christmas 2011 in Côte d'Ivoire was different from those of previous years. Eight months after the change of regime, the authorities wanted to mark it with completely new decorations in the country and by organizing huge fireworks displays [fr] on December 30-31, 2011.

A great many Ivorians went out to take advantage of these various spectacles and the supporting technology, and everyone left with souvenir photos. If it was a good experience for these amateur photographers, that was not the case for Audrey Carlalie [fr]. This young Ivorian student, a professional part-time photographer, saw her photos of the fireworks display published by certain Ivorian newspapers and even the largest online Ivorian information portal - without her permission.

She did not hesitate to complain on her Facebook page, and soon the blogs and other social networks had picked up the buzz.

The Ivorian blogger Edith Brou sets the scene in her blog [fr] and explains:

En effet, les quotidiens ivoiriens tel que le Jour plus, le Nouveau Réveil, Nord-Sud, l’Intelligent d’Abidjan et même le portail Internet historique Abidjan.net, n’ont pas hésité à publier ses photos alors que la moindre des considérations aurait été de lui envoyer un message privé sur Facebook ou Twitter (elle y est toujours connectée) afin d’avoir sa permission.

In fact, Ivorian dailies such as le Jour plus, le Nouveau Réveil, Nord-Sud, l’Intelligent d’Abidjan and even the historic Internet portal Abidjan.net, did not hesitate to publish her photos, while the least of considerations would have been to send her a private message on Facebook or Twitter (she is always connected) to obtain her permission.

As soon as Edith Brou's post was released, the Ivorian blogosphere relayed the affair, like Yoyo [fr], another blogger who backs Ivorian journalists in their fight for recognition and respect for their work:

Depuis hier, la déception se lit dans de nombreux commentaires au sujet des journalistes de la presse écrite ivoirienne. Ces professionnels, qui crient au scandale à la moindre atteinte à leur profession, n'hésitent visiblement pas à jouer de raccourcis pour s'accaparer d'une manière bien moins honorable le travail d'autrui.

Since yesterday, the disappointment can be read in many comments regarding journalists of the Ivorian written press. These professionals, who scream their outrage at the smallest trespass into their profession, apparently do not hesitate to take shortcuts in order to secure the work of others in a much less honorable manner.

In this same vein, the keyword #Carlaliegate was created on Twitter to discuss the topic, and the reactions are proliferating.

Screen shot of reactions to #Carlaliegate on Twitter

What is intriguing about the affair is that the incriminated newspapers have not dared to apologize. The worst of these newspapers is L'intelligent d'Abidjan [fr], which defends itself as follows:

le vendredi (30 décembre 2011) l'IA (Intelligent d’Abidjan) avait des photographes au palais de la culture. Ils n'avaient pas de connexion a cote et il leur fallait traverser le pont pour arriver au bureau. Le maquettiste est alors aller fouiner sur facebook et a trouve cette photo. Desole de n'avoir pas cite l'auteur mais l'image etant dans le domaine public et n'ayant pas ete fait a but lucratif, que faut il payer? Desole de n'avoir pas cite l'auteur de la photo. Nous le ferons prochainement et trouveront les moyens de rendre plus opérationnels nos photographes.

Friday (December 30, 2011) The IA (Intelligent d'Abidjan) had photographers at the Palais de la Culture. They had no transportation and had to cross the bridge to get to the office. The layout artist then went digging on Facebook and found this photo. We are sorry that we did not cite the author, but since the image was in the public domain and was not made for profit, why should we pay? We are sorry that we did not cite the author. We will do so shortly and find the means to better enable our photographers to do their work.

For Stephane Kouakou, another active Ivorian Internet user, this situation adds to the bad press [fr] that Ivorian journalists seem determined to continue cultivating:

Comme je l’ai déjà souligné dans un de mes articles « Mauvaise presse », la presse en Côte d’ivoire a de bien mauvaises pratiques qui lui font déjà perdre des acheteur-lecteurs. Elle vient d’ajouter une autre corde à son arc qui lui fait perdre un peu plus de la crédibilité qu’elle n’avait pas.

As I have already pointed out in my “Bad press” articles, the Ivorian press has many bad practices which are already causing it to lose paying readers. It has now added another feather to its cap, making it lose a little more of the credibility that it did not even have.

Currently, the buzz on the web continues and actions are underway, as Yehni Djidji notes in her post [fr] on the subject:

Abidjan.net a purement et simplement retiré les photos de son site.
L'intelligent d'Abidjan a proposé la compensation suivante: reprise de la photo avec son nom, à l'intérieur du journal mais pas en première page, une collaboration pour que les photos soient rémunérées, l'envoi pendant UN MOIS, de la version PDF du journal, à Carlalie. Avant cela, ce journal a fait plusieurs interventions sur le net qui méritent d'être décortiqué, sans doute dans un autre article.
Carlalie, qui a fait appels à des conseillers juridiques ne peut plus s'exprimer sur le sujet, mais la dernière fois que je l'ai eu, les autres organes de presse n'avaient pas réagi à ses tentatives de communication.

Abidjan.net has simply removed the photos from its site.
L'intelligent d'Abidjan has proposed the following compensation: re-posting of the photo with her name (inside the newspaper but not on the first page), a collaboration agreement so that the photos will be paid for, and a PDF version of the newspaper to be sent to Carlalie within ONE MONTH. Before that, this same newspaper tried several other tactics on the net that deserve to be dissected, doubtless in another article.

Carlalie, who has sought the counsel of legal advisors, can no longer speak on the subject, but the last time that I spoke with her, the other press organizations had not responded to her attempts at communication.