Global Voices » Photography

Thailand: Red Shirts Back in the Streets

Mong Palatino — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:02:38 +0000

On May 19, 2012, tens of thousands of Red Shirt protesters commemorated the second anniversary of the army and police crackdown on anti-government protesters in central Bangkok, Thailand. The May 2010 street violence resulted in the deaths of more than 90 people. Many Red Shirt members are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted by a coup in 2006.

The violent dispersal of the Red Shirt protest contributed to the unpopularity of the government in 2010 which was at that time headed by Abhisit Vejjajiva. Abhisit’s party lost in the elections last year. Thailand’s incumbent Prime Minister is the younger sister of Thaksin.

Photos of the event last Saturday are available on Facebook and Flickr. Here are some photos:

Thousands attended Red Shirt rally in Bangkok. Photo from @RichardBarrow

Red Shirts rally. Photo from Facebook page of Richard Barrow

Red Shirts demand justice. Photo from Facebook page of Richard Barrow

Red Shirts program in the evening. Photo from @aleursic

A video clip of Robert Amsterdam’s speech during the rally. Amsterdam is the lawyer of Thaksin. Some netizens are critical to the activities of the Red Shirts:

@Rom Senakant: sad group of people… They thought they are fighting for just cause but actually they are the being used by a crony ex PM Thaksin or Thug-Sin

@ric_lawes: Reds calling for Justice http://bit.ly/Jv8Ien - simple fact - reds lay siege to the city and 91 people died. No reds no deaths.

@Agam_T: Today, I'm celebrating 2nd anniversary of the END of #RedShirts arson and violence. May19th was the day we got our city back.

Thaksin’s appeal for unity is interpreted by some people as betrayal to the cause of the Red Shirts who are still demanding justice for those who were killed in 2010:

@freakingcat: Are the Red shirts in Ratchprasong so brainwashed and cheered to Thaksin's betrayal speech. 93 died for the greed of the billionaire

@steviegell: Both Thaksin & his sister turned their backs on the red movement. Robert Amsterdam is trying to hide that fact from the reds. Bad form.

Tammy attended the rally and commented about the lack of change in Thailand’s politics:

I just got back from the 2 year anniversary of the crack-down on the Red Shirts protest at Rajprasong, that 2 years ago caused bout 100 civilian death

The new constitution is poised to disappoint those who are looking for democracy, the lese majeste law, the root cause, of many injustices in Thailand, will likely be the same. The death and imprisonment of political prisoners, looks like it will be un-accounted for and not re-solved.

Meanwhile, a government investigation body concluded that state forces are responsible for the deaths of 25 people in the 2010 crackdown.

Afghanistan: How to Use an Afghan Box Camera

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:25:52 +0000

The Presurfer shares a small video documentary of one of the only two remaining Afghan box photographers left in Kabul, and how he takes pictures and processes them inside a small black box.

Malaysia: Bersih Demonstrations Around the Globe

Jerrenn Lam — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:52:44 +0000

While the Bersih (clean) demonstrations were going on in Kuala Lumpur last week, similar gatherings were being organised by Malaysians overseas. Johnny Ong posted a list of Bersih demonstrations that happened around the world in support to the demand for a clean and more democratic elections.

In Hong Kong it was reported that 400 people attended the event.

Bersih in Hong Kong. From Facebook of Temily Tianmay

Demonstrators outside the Malaysian Consulate. From Facebook of Ray Kok Rui Lau

In Melbourne, Australia about a thousand people were estimated to have attended:

In Melbourne's Federation Square. From Facebook of Daniel Loh

In Washington, DC, USA:

Bersih in Washington, DC. From Facebook of Leng-Feng Lee

In Los Angeles, USA:

Bersih in Los Angeles. From Facebook of SzeMin Sim

In Toronto, Canada:

Bersih in Toronto. From Facebook of Kevin Chong

In Auckand, New Zealand:

Bersih in Auckland. From Facebook of Chung Cheong Yung

In London, UK:

Bersih in London. From Facebook of Siok Jin Lim

In Dublin, Ireland:

Bersih in Dublin. From Facebook of Chloe Cheah

In Zurich, Switzerland:

Bersih in Zurich. From the Facebook of Chia Huei Kaivalya Tan

In Paris, France:

Bersih in Paris

And in Moscow, Russia, organisers requested the participants to take photos while wearing a mask to protect their identities:

Participants of Bersih in Moscow

Indonesia: Documenting HIV/AIDS in Papua

Mong Palatino — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:27:16 +0000

Against All Odds is a Tumblr blog of Andri Tambunan who has been documenting the HIV/AIDS epidemic among indigenous Papuans in Indonesia.

Africa: African Photography Blog

Ndesanjo Macha — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:03:53 +0000

Visit Kilele, an African photography blog: “Firstly, it’s a personal blog so the majority of photos appeal to me in some way. Otherwise the blog has enabled me to discover emerging African photographers as well as see different images of Africa.”

Nepal: Asia Pacific Photo-Story Contest 2012

Rezwan — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:06:48 +0000

Nepal Youth Task Force On Rio +20 informs about a photo contest titled “Asia Pacific Photo-Story Contest 2012″ to mark the Voices of Youth globally in RIO+20, The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (June 20-22, 2012) in Brazil. This contest is open to anybody aged 15-35 from the Asia Pacific region and the deadline for submission is May 10, 2012.

Colombia: Video of Art Installation and Performance in Bogotá

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:15:50 +0000

The art collective Invisible Society in Bogotá brought together 53 artists who set up art installations or performance arts, and the process and result can be seen in their video.

Video: Mobile Phone Megaphone Project for Chinese Immigrants in the US

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:00:42 +0000

The Megaphone project has allowed communities to express their thoughts and aspirations through mobile technology since 2003. The latest incarnation is in New York City as Chinese Immigrants document their daily life, thoughts and dreams using mobile technology, with a video explaining a bit more about the process.

Sao Tome and Principe: Memories of a Lonely Navigator

Sara Moreira — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:01:13 +0000

Follow the blog Odisseia nos Mares (Odysseys in the Seas) [pt] and navigate through the stories of Jorge Trabulo Marques - a retired Portuguese journalist and photographer who lived in São Tomé and Príncipe for 13 years during colonial times. Trabulo blogs on his memories of São Tomé, including lonesome adventures in the sea, trying to cross the Atlantic to Brazil.

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

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

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

Going Digital

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

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

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

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

The Joke That Has Fewer and Fewer Laughing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lebedev then added:

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

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

Winners and Losers

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

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

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

The Balkans: Remembering the Bosnian War, 20 Years On

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:43:52 +0000

A red plastic chair for each person killed in Sarajevo in the war that began 20 years ago. A whole street lined up with red chairs, all empty but for some flowers on some of them. Those who could have sat in these chairs - 11,541 people - are long gone.

On April 6, 2012, thousands of people came to this stunning makeshift memorial stretching along Sarajevo's main street, in order to honor the memory of the victims of the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from April 5, 1992, to February 29, 1996 (some of the photos of the memorial are here, here, and here).

Red chairs are displayed along Sarajevo's main street as the city marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the Bosnian War. 11541 red chairs represent the 11,541 Sarajevans who were killed in the 1992-1995 siege of Sarajevo. Photo by SULEJMAN OMERBASIC, copyright © Demotix (04/06/12)

Online, numerous texts have appeared around the time of the sad anniversary; memories, photos and thoughts on the meaning of what went on in Bosnia in the 1990s abound (e.g., here, here, here, here, and here).

On April 5, Damir Šagolj, a Bosnian photojournalist and a survivor of the siege - who, in October 2011, posted a powerful photo report on his visit to the detention facility for war criminals in the Hague, aka “the Hague Hilton - wrote this about his wartime memories and work:

[…] I don’t have any of my pictures from the 92-95 anymore. I shot many – mostly of dead people, of destruction. Very few had any life in them. Then, just as killings stopped and a different war continued in November 1995 I abandoned my photos; I didn’t want to have them anymore.

Not a smart move, but it was what I wanted at the moment – to forget, to put behind. To move forward.

All I have now are the cracks in my memory to peek through and imagine lives before we became just numbers. Only the weed grows around ruins, just like nails and hair on the dead bodies – the reminder.

I had all my photos in one room, at my former army unit in Vrazova street. I would walk past that building every day and all I had to do is to use the key I kept for many years after and pick up my films. I didn’t. Then a rich man bought the building and my archive went where I wanted it to go – into trash.

No matter how hard I try to explain what I did, it doesn’t work. Then, just a moment after, it all makes perfect sense again.

Soon after, it all became very abstract – the faces faded into shapes, names into numbers, lives into bones… I don’t trust my memory any more, it is selective and dazed.

That’s why it was important in Sarajevo to have people from outside who were stronger and more sober. They meet these days in Sarajevo for the big anniversary re-union. Probably only very few really understand how important was what they were doing 92-95.

Without them, the history would be written by same those who killed the man.

Thank you.

A Facebook page - Sarajevo 2012: A Meeting of War Reporters & Sarajevo Friends - was set up for the journalists' reunion; it contains the schedule of events, photos and notes from some of those who were able to attend. Edward Serotta, journalist, photographer and the director of Centropa.org, wrote this:

[…] Last weekend was one long emotional charge–it was like holding on to an electrical current and as soon as I let go of it, I felt everything drain away. Being together with so many people I respect, and who gave their all to bring this story to the world twenty years ago, was, at least for me, ennobling. […]

We all shared the same cause back then (those who came to Sarajevo for the reunion and those who didn't): to bear witness–photograph, record, document the events that proved the so-called civilized world was eating itself alive. We risked life and limb to do it, and lived very much on the edge–and we lived very intensely. […]

All that intensity we put into our work and all that commitment to document the horrors and the bravery, the big stories and the small, are way behind us now. […] But for one blustery April weekend in 2012, a few of us gathered together and remembered what we shared, what we covered, how we lived, and how we tried to help–in that limited way that each of us could.

Photojournalist Gary Knight posted this note:

Sitting in my studio in Boston reflecting on the last four days in Sarajevo - one of the most emotional experiences I think I have ever had. A bitter sweet embrace with a city and cherished friends with whom I shared so many defining experiences during the utter despair of the siege. As wonderful as it was to see you all I left wondering how peace could have gone so badly wrong. Bosnia deserved a better peace than the one Dayton gave it. I have travelled far and wide since the war in Bosnia ended but rarely to a place as utterly depressing. There is much we can still do there………..

Zdenka Pregelj (@CountessBezuhov), a Sarajevo native who has been photographing the city since 2005, posted Nic Robertson's CNN report from the journalists' reunion and wrote:

This is very emotional for me. At that time I worked for Television in Sarajevo and was meeting Nic and Chris day in day out. Thank you Nic for coming back after 20 years.

A Bosnian woman, Berina Hodzic, lays a flower on one of the red chairs that were installed along Sarajevo's main street to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the Bosnian War. Photo by SULEJMAN OMERBASIC, copyright © Demotix (04/06/12).

For the past few weeks, YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett and Sarajevo Seyahatname have been posting links to media and blog coverage of the 20th anniversary of the Bosnian War. The latter posted a link to this short item from Pictures of War, a Tumblr blog, about “some unsung heroes of the Sarajevo Siege” - James Mason's 1992 photo of Sarajevo's garbage collectors, accompanied by this note:

Being a trashman in Sarajevo was probably as dangerous as being a frontline soldier. A lot of them died in the course of their work, either shot dead by snipers or killed by artillery. Without trash pickup the city would have descended into a middle-ages like morass of filth and disease.

Another photo by James Mason has been used to illustrate an article about the anniversary [sr] that appeared in the Serbian online newspaper e-novine.com. The links to this and several other related articles (including the one [sr] on the memorial rally organized by Žene u crnom (”Women in Black”) in Belgrade) were provided by Belgrade-based Pedja Popovic, in a comment to the BalkanInsight report stating that “[n]o one from the Serbian government will attend the April 6 commemoration of the start of the Bosnian Serb siege [of Sarajevo].

Popovic wrote:

Not all of media in Serbia ignored sad anniversary. […]

James Mason's photo, taken in winter 1993, is of a girl holding a few loaves of bread, with a breadline in the background - and here is the photographer's description:

Distribution of bread
Sarajevo

This girl had just received her family's bread ration. I had hooked up with a kid about 11 and he was guiding me around the city, showing me where it was safe to walk. The girl was a friend of his from school and was glad to see him. It's amazing how fast the kids in Sarajevo adapted to the war.

Reader lalos posted this comment [sr] about the photo in the comments section at e-novine.com:

Rasplaka me ona slika sa devojčicom koja je puna sreće jer drži nekoliko vekni hleba u naručju.

Prokleti ratovi i oni koji su bombardovali Sarajevo.

This photo of the girl who is very happy because she's got a few loaves of bread in her hands has made me cry.

Damn wars and those who bombed Sarajevo.

Russia: Watching News of Patriarch Kirill's Watch Travel

Donna Welles — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:05:51 +0000

This week a controversy that began in the Russian blogosphere concerning an altered photograph of the Patriarch's watch on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church spread to Western blogs, as well as the West's mainstream media.

The timing of these events is remarkable for two reasons: (1) The Russian Orthodox Church is in the middle of Great Lent (with still another week before it celebrates its Easter holiday on April 15), and (2) The Church is in the process of finding its post-Soviet identity, as discussed in a January Global Voices post titled, “The Russian Orthodox Church Re-Enters Politics.”

The Russian-language v_n_zb LiveJournal blog provided [ru] details about the photo alterations in an April 4 post:

Nikolai Pravdorub contends that [staff] on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church altered photographs in which the Patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus' Kirill was depicted wearing a Breguet watch worth 30,000 Euros.

After a statement last week by Patriarch Kirill that he owns a Breguet watch but has never worn it, the Orthodox Church's official site, patriarchia.ru, spent the past weekend revising all photographs archived between April and July, 2009.

Specifically, the site removed all of photographs that showed a Breguet watch on the Patriarch's wrist.

In addition, one of the photos where a Breguet is visible on the Patriarch's wrist was crudely retouched in Photoshop and replaced in the old bulletins section of the official site. In the [retouched] image, the watch's reflection remained on the varnished surface of the table, and, although the photograph was taken and published in 2009, the metadata attached to the EXIF file was dated March 31, 2012.

In other words, we have evidence on the most official site of the Russian Orthodox Church that the Patriarch not only wore the watch repeatedly and for quite a long time, but also that a team was dispatched after his recent public statement to conceal this very fact and remove from the Church's site any photographs that included the watch.

The post went on the illustrate how there was a period of time when the church was in the process of returning the images to their original forms, and therefore some of the original links still do not work:

P.S. On the site, they quickly removed the altered photo, but the old photo doesn't open, either: http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/684785.html. And here a third photo has yet to be removed — where the reflection of the watch is also visible, but the watch [itself] has been retouched.

Gazeta.ru's screenshot of the altered photo on the Patriarchy's website, widely circulated online.

By April 5, the story caught the attention of the Western media, including Western mainstream blogs.

Fr. Stephen Smuts, a TAC Priest in South Africa, quoted on his blog an article from The Telegraph. Reuters ‘Faith World' blog published an article titled, “Russian Orthodox apologise for photo after bloggers rap Patriarch Kirill over watch”:

The Russian Orthodox Church apologised on Thursday for doctoring a photograph of Patriarch Kirill to remove what bloggers said was a luxury wristwatch following accusations that he lives a lavish lifestyle. […]

The Church made no reference to a watch in a statement, but said a ‘rude violation of our internal ethics' had been made and removed the doctored 2009 photo from its Website, replacing it with a version showing a watch on his wrist.

‘Employees of the press service’s photo-editing desk made a silly mistake while working with the photo archives,' the statement said, promising they would be punished.

‘We apologise to all the users of the website for the technical mistake,' it said. ‘One of the basic principles of our work is the fundamental rejection of the use of photo editing programmes to alter images.'

ABC News blog published an article titled, “Russian Orthodox Church Apologizes for Photoshop Stunt,” which included a quote from Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin — a church figure no stranger to controversy:

‘There will be a thorough investigation to determine why in this instance there was a crude violation of our internal ethical code,' the patriarch’s press team said in a statement. ‘The guilty ones will be punished severely.'

[…] The patriarch’s press service responded, saying, ‘The person simply showed stupid initiative, not justified by anything and not agreed with superiors. It is clear that it is a mistake. We do not want to hide anything, we have nothing to be ashamed of,' according to the Moscow News.

The Moscow News also said that Vsevolod Chaplin, the church’s head spokesman, told the Russian blog Slon.ru, ‘I do not care what watch he has; moreover, I do not remember what watch I have on my wrist, I would have to look. I am not interested in this side of life.'

In addition, the Russian blogosphere has surged with humorous posts referencing the indicient.

Typically pro-Kremlin blogger Fritz Morgen published a satirical post [ru] titled, “Ten Reasons to Defend Patriarch Kirill”:

1. The Patriarch represents a great country and should look respectable.
2. Wearing an expensive watch, the Patriarch defiantly rejects the cult of sleaze that plagues the psyche of so many Russians. […]
4. The Patriarch is teaching us how to cope with envy, which (unlike wearing watches) is a deadly sin.
5. The Patriarch socializes with wealthy and influential people, and for them to take his moral teachings seriously, he should dress on their level. […]
7. Wearing the watch and knowing that he would draw criticism for it, the Patriarch behaves bravely and independently, as befits a leader of his rank.
8. With the help of the watch, the Patriach [sic] avoids the sin of pride and reminds himself that he is not a saintly ascetic, but a man of flesh and blood. […]
10. The church thinks in terms of centuries. However much the watch is worth today, it will be worth a hundred times more in 200 years, as an historical relic that raised a scandal in the Russian state.

Activist blogger Alexei Navalny chimed in via his Twitter account:

Теперь это Мастерство Фотошопа РПЦ будут вспоминать при каждом удобном случае. Навсегда прилепится

Now the Orthodox Church's mastery of Photoshop will be remembered at every opportunity. [Its reputation] is stuck forever.

Other Russian bloggers posted irreverent photos of the Patriarch with even more farcical alterations.

Patriarch Kirill on the mock cover of Photoshop for Dummies (an anonymous photo-parody widely circulated online).

Galludo's LiveJournal blog posted a selection of these photo-parodies, including a picture of the Patriarch on the cover of a “Photoshop for Dummies” book, in an April 5 post.

Monk Blog included similar pictures in a post [ru] from a Ukraine-based blogger, with the following insightful summary of the week's events:

Many have heard in the news the story of Patriarch Kirill's watch. When the Orthodox Church on its website displayed a photograph from a meeeting, where the Patriarch wore an expensive watch. Later the photos were crudely photoshopped, [but] the reflection of the watch remained in the table. Bloggers noticed the alterations, and the original photo was restored. Amusingly, [others] on the Internet have started playing with the idea of the watch.

Yet, what remains unclear is the purpose of [the Church's] attempts to feign an ascetic lifestyle. After all, those who believe will continue to believe, and non-believers won't have any more respect [for the Church].

Kuwait: Bedoon Light Candles for Freedom

Mona Kareem — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:22:26 +0000

As a protest against discriminatory state policies and arbitrary arrests, the stateless community in Kuwait (Bedoon) decided to light candles in their houses and post pictures of them on Twitter. The idea was suggested by blogger 7anthala Al-Bedoon who thought it would be a message to the authorities that “the struggle is going on and that their peaceful objections will not end until they get their rights”.

On Wednesday 4 April, a flood of pictures went on Twitter as people expressed themselves variously with candles using the hashtag #شمعة_حرية_وأمل meaning “a candle of freedom and hope”.

Here are some of the pictures shared:

Picture posted by @m_mubher has a line by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish: We do what the prisoners and the unemployed do; we grow hope.

Two Bedoon students in Jordan write "Bedoon" (without) using candles (posted by @alenazi90)

Posted by @mohammedalouda

"Group 29", a group of Kuwaiti activists focused on Bedoon rights, took this picture in support (posted by @al29ela)

Three girls holding "Until when will we remain stateless?" (posted by @7MODQ8)

Bedoon woman @mayar114 posted this picture saying "Give me my freedom"

The following two pictures were sent to blogger 7anthala:

Picture of the article concerning equality in Kuwait's constitution, with candles

"Not allowed to travel" with the campaign's hashtag

This is a video of a candle being lit by the beach, uploaded by user arzag1:

And a video of candles and a sign next to a cellphone playing a video of a Bedoon protest, uploaded by user fal3nze:

Haiti: Women & the Spoken Word (Part 1)

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:50:03 +0000

Francesca Andre is a Haitian photographer living and working in the United States. She is involved in an ongoing project (via the Fanm Kanson Network) about Haitian women: key elements include interviewing various women about their experience, raising funds and facilitating writing, literacy and photography workshops in an effort to help the subjects tell their own stories and heighten awareness (both on-island and throughout the Haitian diaspora) about their everyday reality - a project that was already in train before the devastating 2010 earthquake.

An organic off-shoot of that project is a new video about spoken word artist Melissa Beauvery, which Andre has directed. In this post, she speaks to Global Voices about her work, how this video fits in to the bigger picture of amplifying the voices of Haitian women and the significance of Haitian art and culture.

Haitian photographer Francesca Andre

A follow-up post will focus on the perspective of the spoken-word artist herself, Melissa Beauvery.

•••

Janine Mendes-Franco (JMF): How did you and Melissa meet and what inspired you to direct this video?

Francesca Andre (FA): I met Melissa through a mutual acquaintance. I first worked with [her] on a documentary that I directed titled ‘Our Wombs, Our Voices', [which was] subtitled ‘Four Women'. It is a short documentary that highlights the lives and talents of four Haitian women poets: Michele Voltaire, Jennifer Celestin, Keren Charles Dongo and Melissa Beauvery. The documentary shows snippets of their personal lives, in correlation with the writing process and inspiration. It also examines how poetry helps them identify themselves in the diaspora. During that time that I became more acquainted with ‘My Grandmother’s Tongue', Melissa’s current project, and the idea of doing a short video on the project came to light.

Spoken Word Artist: Melissa Beauvery from Victor Oliveira on Vimeo.

JMF: Was the transition from still photography to video challenging for you? How did you use the medium differently to tell the story?

FA: It wasn’t challenging at all. it actually made Fanm Kanson Network’s mission even easier…we want to tell stories; inspiring stories, uplifting stories…and ‘My Grandmother’s Tongue' will take you [on] that journey…the different complexities and dimensions of Melissa’s project could only be enhanced by moving images. Listening to her poems on ‘My Grandmother’s Tongue' created very vivid images and awakened memories and sentiments about Haiti that are worth celebrating and cultivating.

Haitian woman; photo by Francesca Andre

JMF: What did you want this video to achieve? What is its primary message and how are you using the power of social media to get it out to the people you want to see it?

FA: The purpose of the video was to show a little bit about Melissa’s life, her upbringing, her project, the process of working on ‘My Grandmother’s Tongue', the inspiration behind it and to give the audience a little taste of what to expect from the album. The key message is to promote a more positive image of Haiti. It is to acknowledge the power of words, the power of storytelling in our culture and how it could transcend in other cultures as well - how words can close bridges and create understanding between cultures, peoples and mentalities. Facebook, Twitter and blogs are very important in establishing a presence online…I do intend to post it on various active Facebook groups as well as asking others to spread the word in order to continue this dialogue.

JMF: Explain a bit more about how Melissa's video fits in to your flagship project about Haitian women.

FA: All these projects have one thing in common: Purpose. Whatever project we tackle has a similar purpose - to create a dialogue, raise understanding, promote arts, respect, humanity, love and to celebrate who we are as women as well as defining our own territories, voices and purposes in this world. ‘My Grandmother’s Tongue' was inspired by Melissa’s grandmother, [but] it pays homage to all women. It tells stories of a people, of many people, of a Haiti that the world doesn’t see. It tells stories of women whose names the world won't pronounce, won't remember. However, they hold power to resist poverty, cruelty and to create changes and that is Power! And this is why it is important [for] Fanm Kanson Network to highlight a project such as ‘My Grandmother’s Tongue' and an artist such as Melissa Beauvery.

Fanm Kanson women, Haiti; photo by Francesca Andre

JMF: As a member of the Haitian diaspora, what do you think the main challenges are for your country – and how do you think your art – and the wider elements of Haitian culture (music, painting, etc.) are having a positive impact?

FA: A lot of times when I am asked to share my sentiments about Haiti, I am always proud to talk about resiliency and then I realize that the people will always be resilient as long as they are fighting negative forces such as poverty, corruption, political instability, lack of consciousness,
exploitation and so on. My views of being resilient have changed over the years…I really wish the people didn’t have to be resilient.

The only thing that is keeping Haiti ‘kanpe', which means ‘up', is the culture…the artists. The artists represent the soul of the people…they are the spirits that communicate with God and they are the heart of the people, the blood of the people. If you want to understand the people, study their art, listen to their music, listen to their words, learn their tongue and you will discover so many beautiful things about them, so many sensibilities that are often dismissed by others. This is how the culture is keeping Haiti alive.

Look at the story of Melissa: she was not born in Haiti, but here she is talking about Haiti in English and in her grandmother’s tongue, which is Haitian Creole. This project personifies hope, survival of culture that is changing and the audacity to celebrate it and to keep creating a better Haiti through words, music and images.

All photos used in this post are by Francesca Andre, used with permission.

Puerto Rico: “National Day of Salsa” in the Conservatory

Greg Ahlswede — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:37:05 +0000

Every year, on the third Sunday of March, the National Day of Salsa takes place in Puerto Rico. However during the entire month there are a variety of events related to this important celebration.

This was the case on Sunday, March 11th at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music where the traditional concert in commemoration of Salsa Day was held. Salsa devotees congregated in the Conservatory's Rafael Hernández Ampitheater to enjoy this cultural and musical expression. An expression that has gone around the world to become one of the most popular and most recognizable examples of Latin American and Caribbean music and dance.

This year the singer Cheo Feliciano and the singer and trumpet player Jerry Medina, two of the most important exponents of Salsa in Puerto Rico, joined the Conservatory students to celebrate the Day of Salsa.

Wilma Colón has shared some photos she shot of the event. All the photos are used with her consent.

Devotees of Salsa gathered together to enjoy the commerative concert for the National Salsa Day.

Trombone students from the Conservatory majoring in Caribbean Jazz & Music.

Jerry Medina

Percussion students majoring in Caribbean Jazz and Music.

The singer Cheo Feliciano. As well as being a salsa signer, he is also known for singing boleros.

Conservatory students sing the choruses along with the guest Salsa singers.