Global Voices » Youth

Argentina: Transforming a Neighborhood through a Cultural Shed

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:20:57 +0000

The Piedrabuenarte Cultural Shed in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina is transforming the neighborhood through culture, arts and citizen media. Formerly a warehouse for discarded scenery and sets for the Colon Theater, the space was transformed by artists in the community into a center for arts. Through their YouTube channel they are telling the world about it.

Eddie Avila, on a Rising Voices article from 2011, included this note before a video interview with the founders:

There are plans to work more closely with the youth in the neighborhood, showing them how they can use the cameras on their mobile phones to contribute to the YouTube channel. This would allow for additional perspectives on the diverse Piedrabuena neighborhood. In the following video, two of the founding members of the Shed, Juan “Pepi” Garachico and Lucian Garramuño, talk about what the Shed means to the residents and how they use citizen media to tell the stories of Piedrabuena.

So what have they been up to? On their YouTube channel, Piedrabuenartv is an artistic show that gives us images of daily activities in the Cultural Shed as well as being an artistic outlet for the community to express themselves through video. The next video shows the transformation of an empty lot into a cultural city, where relocated playground equipment found a new home, and an open air theater stage is being built, all of this surrounded by the high rise apartment blocks where much of the community lives.

Other episodes of the show feature neighbors talking about their expectations regarding the cultural transformation of the neighborhood, or like this next one, a look back to when they first opened the bricked up windows after 30 years.

Indonesia: Lady Gaga's Concert Permit Denied

Carolina Rumuat — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:33:01 +0000

After being pressured by conservative politicians and hardline groups, which branded Lady Gaga as a devil worshiper, the Indonesian police announced that it won't issue a permit to the highly anticipated Lady Gaga concert in Jakarta, leaving over 50,000 fans disappointed.

@HeyPotterhead:Lady Gaga's concert better not be cancelled. I did NOT fell in line for 8 hours for nothing! Stupid FPI #IndonesiaSavesGaga #BTWBallGBK

FPI or the Islamic Defenders Front is an influential religious group which often campaigns against ‘anti-Islamic' activities and ideas. In this particular case, Lady Gaga was accused of corrupting the morality of young Indonesians.

One of the promotional merchandises of the Lady Gaga concert. From the twitpic page of @youngdancers

Lady Gaga fans, who were called ‘little monsters', have criticized the government's decision

@ginaignasia: Apa hak nya. Gue yang nabung&cari calo susah2, nyekal2 seenaknya. #IndonesiaSavesGaga #GagaIsAmazing #monsterpower #BurnFPIdown

@ginaignasia: What right do they have. I'm the one who have been saving up; looking hard for scalpers, then you suddenly ban the concert.

@akibaryou: Save Mother Monster! Save the freedom of expression! The cancellation is proof of how our country has lost its priority.#IndonesiaSavesGaga!

@Ray_owl: FPI is embarrassing Indonesia internationally! #IndonesiaSavesGaga RT @lanaaisya: FPI is being a hypocrite. #saveladygaga

@NickyYuventius:Yang bikin gue bingung adalah polisi yg beralasan gaga itu porno. APA KABAR KONSER DANGDUT? PREEEET!

@NickyYuventius: What I found odd was the police giving an excuse saying that Gaga (act) is pornographic. What about dangdut concerts?

Dangdut, an Indian influenced folk music, is very popular in Indonesia. The dance moves of Dangdut performers are oftentimes sexy and erotic.

Meanwhile, the Christian Indonesian Church Council (PGI) supported the concert arguing that it's a part of the country's freedom of expression.

Not all politicians found Lady Gaga's performance racy. Lawmaker Ahmad Basarah, who is a Muslim, told newspaper The Jakarta Globe that the national police should be fair when it comes to protecting the nation's values, whether it's against liberal-capitalistic ideas or Middle Eastern ideologies.

Here are more reactions on twitter:

@danielvk: Religious mafia manipulates democracy & freedom to rob the freedom of others. Don't tolerate intolerance! #saynotohate #indonesiasavesgaga

@DanielZiv: It's not a matter of #IndonesiaSavesGaga, it's more like whether Gaga can save Indonesia.And really, Indonesia needs to save itself from this extremist nonsense, Gaga or no Gaga.

Kyrgyzstan: Can a Blogger be the Fourth Branch of Government?

Chris Rickleton — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:50:52 +0000

Ilya Karimdjanov is a pest. Armed with a camera, a question and the most popular blog on Kyrgyzstan's most popular blogging platform, Kloop.kg, he is a one-man citizen media machine, the nemesis of rule-breaking cops, corrupt university teachers and the Kyrgyz monetary system. Well, someone has to keep them all in check, don't they?

Kyrgyzstan's weakened executive, unruly legislature and compromised judiciary are not renowned for enforcing their own rules and regulations. Indeed, state officials' disregard for due process is a feature of life in the country that can charm or frustrate foreign visitors to the country in equal measure. For citizens of the country, it is simply the daily minefield they must negotiate in order to get from home to work and back again.

Commissar Karimdjanov, as he has been referred to in the past, has made a habit of exposing these routine violations of law and protocol both on his blog and on the main news portal at Kloop.kg, where he works as a journalist. A recent example saw him “police” a female police officer who appeared to be drinking while in uniform at lunch time:

Karimdjanov: Look, she is drinking beer. Shall we go?

Colleague: Sure

Karimdjanov [to policewoman]: I hope you are not against us making a video. Why are you drinking beer in uniform? It is interesting for us, why is a police official drinking beer?

Policewoman: I have a praznik [celebratory day]

Karimdjanov: But you are on duty…

Policewoman: I understand that it is banned on duty but for one thing it is non-alcoholic…

Karimdjanov: It is not non-alcoholic, we asked the waitress….

Policewoman: It is non-alcoholic you can ask again, and secondly tomorrow is a praznik and [today is] my birthday. May I?

In the Facebook plugin beneath the posted video, Almaz Rakhimdinov noted [ru]:

Not for nothing Ilya Karimdjanov has the title of agent provocateur!

While Cholponbai Borubaeva said [ru]:

Interested to know what will happen to her - a warning or a sacking?

Rinat Shamstudinov argued:

The guys from Kloop [Karimdjanov and colleague, Zarema Sultanbekova] did good. But you should have taken a copy of the receipt because staff [of the police] may do anything possible to turn that Siberian Crown [alcoholic beer] into a Baltika ‘0′ [non-alcoholic].

This isn't the first time Karimdjanov's activities have earned him attention. Another recent video exposed on his blog posed the question [ru] ”Tiyini - Money No-one Needs?”

On that occasion Karimdjanov went around Bishkek with co-author Begimai Bolotbekova trying to spend tiyini, the much-loathed Kyrgyz equivalent of cents, pence and other smaller-than-small currency denominations. Refused by shopkeepers, stallholders and parking inspectors, he successfully exposed another law that doesn't work - that all denominations belonging to the national currency be accepted in cash transactions.*

Ilya's day-to-day blogging sees him defend the constitution [ru] (particularly article 33, allowing access to free information), expose corrupt university lecturers [ru] and make appeals [ru] for greater press responsibility. In this sense, he is like an onlime ombudsman, performing the functions the government, either through indifference or incompetence, doesn't.

But why does he bother? In response to a criticism by one commenter of his handling of the police-beer scandal, Karimdjanov replied [ru]:

I also thought to dismiss it at first. Just get up and leave, but my conscience would not allow me to. I know that nothing has fundamentally changed and it is unlikely to even be punished, but I have every right to approach such employees and to show them that they themselves are doing wrong.
All of us like to chew the fat and say that it is because of low salaries and all that. But fundamentally you don't even desire to do something useful. This is my country, the place my children will live ! And I will do everything possible so that before they arrive, I will make at least a few people, through examples like these, change the way they think about things and do what is correct! To sit back and criticize - is the easiest thing to do. But I respect your opinion, because my task was to convey information to you. I did this as a journalist, and how you perceive it - is up to you

* Fifty tiyin pieces, the eqivalent of 1 US cent, are accepted in the Kyrgyz supermarket chain ‘Narodni', an organization that fares pretty badly during coups in the country. Tourists in Bishkek may be forgiven for thinking that Narodni are entirely responsible for the circulation of this meloch, or small change, since only they seeem to dispense them, and only they seem to accept them….

Links to videos: 1, 2

Costa Rica: The Circus that Saves Children's Lives

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:39:27 +0000

To the south of Costa Rica lies the town of Perez Zeledon, home to the Fantazztico Circus that is giving children and youth in the region a chance to stay out of drugs and trouble while opening doors to international travel.

In a video documentary, the story of this 12 year old project by the New Life Asociation (Asociacion Vida Nueva) takes shape. In an interview, a mother explains how young people are left to their own devices, and they end up getting in trouble or addicted to drugs due to lack of opportunities to study or work. The circus gives them a chance to learn skills, discipline and become part of a group where they become valued. It is also the story of Josue, who drifted away from the circus, and almost died from a drug overdose. As he says, he returned to the circus where he knew he'd find the support to go on, and now he tries to steer clear from peer pressure.

The Circo Fantazztico has had the opportunity to travel overseas to Europe, presenting their show and work to audiences while also discovering new cultures and places.

The Sula Batsú Cooperative of Costa Rica which works in training and skill building for cooperatives and other non-government organizations shared through their facebook page a link to the promotional video with the comment:

El viernes pasado nos visitó la agrupación Circo FantazzTico, en este proyecto social se usa la pedagogía circense como medio del trabajo preventivo con niños, niñas y jóvenes en riesgo social. La idea del proyecto es crear un lugar seguro para los niños, niñas y jóvenes que están en una situación social difícil, y que puedan aprender habilidades corporales al igual que adquirir competencias sociales…

Last Friday the Fantazztic Circus group visited us, this social project uses the circus training as a means to do preventive work with children and youth in social risk. The project's idea is to create a safe place so that boys, girls and young people in difficult social situations can learn physical movement skills while they learn social skills…

The Circus is also well received nationally: the following video shows their presentation in the National Stadium of Costa Rica in the capital city of San Jose, to an audience of 10 000 people. The presentation included aerobatics of people twisting on ropes, fabric and tumbling as well as floor exercises and pyramids.

Kenya: To Pay or Not to #PayInterns?

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:37:12 +0000

Kenyan tweep @RobertAlai started a lively debate on 14 May, 2012 about the need for companies to pay interns. @RobertAlai wanted tweeps to ask companies, “#DoYouPayInterns?”:

@RobertAlai: If you are an intern and you feel that you are being exploited, please email me on alai @ techmtaa.com. Let's ask #DoYouPayInterns ?

Tweeps immediately took to their keyboards siding with interns:

@madonah12: #PayInterns Is the best Trend Ever I just love the idea that Interns should get Lunch Fare and Pocket money cc @RobertAlai Good work

A banner in support of interns. Photo courtesy: Jeff Howard Flickr account (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

@tyrus_: Aye how come all those KE companies on Twitter who tweet “Good morning and Good night” and sell new products cant respond to #PayInterns ?

@RobertAlai: “Interns” must be paid. Stand up for your rights and you'll find that employers are capable of paying you #PayInterns

@TheMacharia: I wonder how many of those on #PayInterns have actually hired, not selected, but hired interns.

@mainneli: Interns should be paid. they do the same work and same stuff like anyone else in the office,stop exploitation #Payinterns

@tkb: @kainvestor @Worldbank inviting users to wiki is same as @Wikipedia who don't #payinterns Create a global public good with all content open!

@B_Oyigo: @RobertAlai Jamii Telecom Limited #PAYINTERNS btwn 10-15k

@KenyaPolice: Kenya Police does not support the exploiation of Kenyan workers. #PayInterns

However, some tweeps sided with companies using interns without pay:

@Kkaaria: Interns, 5 years into your career, you will realize how little you actually knew when you started off. Be patient.. #payInterns

@TerryanneChebet: My two cents to the #payinterns. I say no. An allowance for food and transport, however is alright.

@mainaalex: ati #payinterns for what?if they are that good, they should start their own companies. show value you get paid.

@Kamungah: @MediaMK Interns contribute, companies gain as interns get required skills. Win - Win. Some employers use them as ‘continuous' interviews.

Bloggers have also joined the debate. Blogger Dennis Matara argued that labour laws stipulate that interns must be paid after working for three months:

You must wake up! You have been in intern for more than three months? Get alive. Labour laws clearly state that the company that takes you in as an intern is required by law to absorb you as their full time employee, paid in their scale and entitle to leave days among other benefits. If they cannot do that, then your internship should end at the end of your third month there.

It is true and evident that some interns ‘decide’ to stay longer in the hope of ‘acting good’ in order to secure themselves a job. Yes, that is ok but if the company really needs you that much, then they must take you in. Many employers know very well that majority of these interns are straight from college, they do not have money even for their transport to work but still misuse them to the fullest.

Nairobi Wire noted that companies in Kenya paying interns are the minority:

The companies that pay there interns are the minority and they pay peanuts. Reading through some of the tweets, KCB, EABL, CIC, KPLC, KBC, Standard Group, NMG, RMS among many others have been listed as the most exploitative. Equity bank has been attacked for using CSR as a reason to have cheap labour. KBC is the worst of all since interns have to pay to intern there.
There have also been complains of interns been sexually exploited.

This is one of the most lively discussion I've seen on twitter in a long time. Most of the time, people are always rumbling about Kenya Power.

#PayInterns has generated so much interest that at its peak, around 150 tweets were being tweeted per minute. This is considering its only in Kenya. Various corporates have also tweeted responding to allegations that they do not remunerate their interns. KCB tweeted, “KCB Group does not obtain any money from interns. Interns are actually paid a monthly stipend that is above the industry average”

Kenya: #PayInterns Trending

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:50:23 +0000

#PayInterns is trending in Kenya. @mainneli writes: “Interns should be paid. they do the same work and same stuff like anyone else in the office,stop exploitation #Payinterns”

Algeria: Low Turnout in Legislative Elections

Ahmed Medien — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:25:57 +0000

On May 10, Algeria's first legislative elections since the start of the Arab uprisings were held. The National Liberation Front (FLN) and sister party the National Democratic Rally won a majority of seats, defeating an Islamist alliance.

The ruling FLN has dominated Algeria's political life since independence. These elections were seen as a test of the its legitimacy, and the official turnout figure of 42.9%, an improvement on the 35% turnout for the 2007 elections, was claimed by some as an endorsement for recent political reforms. However, despite the fact there have not been the kind of anti-regime protests in Algeria as elsewhere in the Arab world, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the government. Many people expressed their political dissent through boycotting the elections.

#10MaiToz: No dessert for those who don't vote. Image posted by @beautifultango7.

On election day Algerians tweeted under the hashtag #10MaiToz, “toz” meaning nonsense.

Yasmine Bouchène wrote:

@Yaspuppchen: Si dans d’autres pays, voter est un acte citoyen. En Algérie, ne pas le faire l’est apparemment d’avantage ! #10maiToz

@Yaspuppchen: If in other countries voting is an act of citizenship, in Algeria not voting is apparently even better!

Vote here. Image posted by @copi35.

There were widespread accusations of fraud and a “manipulation of the results”.

Yanis Chalouche joked:

@Mister16Five: Les actes de citoyenneté sont tellement ancrés dans notre culture et notre éducation, que même les morts ressuscitent pour voter. #10MaiToz

@Mister16Five: Acts of citizenship are so embedded in our culture and education that even the dead rise to vote.

Blogger Baki 7our tweeted:

@7our: Proverbe algérien: “c'est quand le bureau de vote est vide que l'urne se remplit”. #10MaiToz #Fraude

@7our: Algerian proverb: “When the polling station is empty the ballot box fills up.”

Bab El Oued polling station. Image posted by @LivefromAlgeria.

Journalist Borzou Daragahi noted the lack of voters:

@Borzou: Algeria: At election center in Larbatache outside Algiers city, very, very few voters; mostly elderly. Where are youth?

A citizen-driven election monitoring website was set up to report fraud. More than 150 infractions were recorded across Algeria.

In the above video [ar], a 23-year-old man called Tarek explains that the Algerian people have had enough of politicians who have failed since 1999 (when Abdelaziz Bouteflika became president) to make life better for Algerians. One of the strongest moments of the clip is when Tarek says that he'd rather be “eaten by fish than eaten by worms (poverty)”.

Turkey: Outrage at Sentencing of Scarf Case Student

Stratos Moraitis — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:02:46 +0000

On May 11 Cihan Kirmizigul, an engineering student at the prestigious Galatasaray University in Istanbul, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in jail for firebombing a building - but many believe his only “crime” was wearing a Kurdish scarf in the vicinity of the attack.

The number of imprisoned Turkish journalists and politicians has doubled in the last few years, prompting strong reactions both locally and internationally. Kirmizigul's sentencing on May 11 was just the latest in a series of controversial cases. He was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months on charges of membership in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), possession of explosives and causing damage to private buildings. However, in what has become known as the “scarf case”, it is widely believed that Kirmizigul just happened to be in the area wearing a Kurdish poşu (keffiyeh or scarf).

On Twitter, reactions were immediate. Fatih Aker commented on the lack of evidence [tr]:

@mesutbahtiyar: kaçıranlar için #cihankirmizigul davası özeti: -soru:molotof kokteyli atan kişi bu muydu? -tanık:hayır değildi. (delil:poşu karar:11 sene)

for all those who missed the case, an executive summary. - question: was he the one who threw the Molotov cocktail? - witness: no he wasn't. (evidence: keffiyeh. sentence: 11 years.)

The Turkish judicial system has for some time been under the scrutiny of social media activists because of unfair court decisions. While a special “terror law” (separate from the usual criminal law) is terrorizing political dissidents, rapists and abusers are evading heavy punishment under the regular law.

Melis Tasan looks at the reason Kirmizigul was singled out by the police, which was the scarf he was wearing [tr]:

@melistasan: tecavüzü meşrulaştıran, katilleri kahraman ilan eden, hırsızları büyük iş adamı yapan hükumet poşuya dur dedi

the government that legalized rape, proclaimed murderers to be heroes and thieves to be big businessmen, declared “no to keffiyehs!”

Actor and movie director Ahmet Mumtaz Taylan tweeted [tr]:

@taylan1789: Poşu takarak Beyoğlu'nda yürümek suretiyle devleti yıkmaya kalkışan Cihan KIRMIZIGÜL'e 11 yıl ceza veren adalet; Dümen senin kolpa senin!

The justice system that punished Cihan Kirmizigul with a sentence of 11 years for trying to destroy the state by walking at Beyoglu wearing a keffiyeh: you are the ones running the show!

Demonstrators occupying Beyoglu in protest at Kirmizigul sentencing, May 11, 2012. Photo courtesy of Elif Ilgaz (@elifilgaz)

After his arrest, Kirmizigul's friends and professors started a blog [tr] to make his case known:

Galatasaray Üniversitesi Endüstri Mühendisliği Bölümü öğrencisi Cihan Kırmızıgül, 22 aydır Tekirdağ F Tipi Cezaevi’nde tutuklu bulunmaktadır. Bir süpermarkete yönelik gerçekleştirilen Molotof kokteylli bir saldırıdan iki saat sonra, olay yerine yakın Kağıthane’de otobüs beklerken, saldırıya katılmış olduğuna dair hiçbir somut delil bulunmaksızın, zor kullanılarak gözaltına alınmıştır. O gün boynunda taşıdığı ve polis tarafından Kürt hareketiyle özdeşleştirilen “poşu”, gözaltına alınması için öne sürülen tek suç unsurudur. Bir gizli tanık tarafından “giysilerinden” teşhis edilmiş, fakat bu tanık, daha sonra ifadesini geri çekmiştir. Suç delillerinin zayıflığına işaret eden savcı, Kırmızıgül’ün beraatini istedikten sonra görevden alınmıştır.

Galatasaray University industrial engineering student Cihan Kirmizigul has been in detention for 22 months (since February 20, 2010) at Tekirdag F-Type Prison. Two hours after a Molotov attack at a supermarket in the Kagithane neighborhood (in Istanbul), he was forcefully arrested while waiting for a bus at a bus stop although there was no evidence for his involvement in the incident. The keffiyeh he was wearing that day, which is identified as a sign of the Kurdish movement by the police, is the sole reason and evidence for his arrest. He was then identified by a secret witness by his clothing, but that witness later retracted his statement. The initial prosecutor of the case who accepted that the evidence against Kirmizigul was weak was removed from his office after stating that.

While most wrote in support of Kirmizigul, some defended the state's stance. Hasan Ceylan tweeted [tr]:

@Hasan_133: #CihanKirmizigul ne poşu davası lan örgüte yataklık etmek molotof atmak patlayıcı bulundurmak çarpıtmayın pkklı piçler…

The Cihan Kirmizigul case is not about the keffiyeh, it's about abetting and using Molotovs and explosives. Do not twist things, you PKK bastards…

Some took the case as a matter of reciprocity. Twitter user a.l.g. wrote [tr]:

@friendsinhell: TÜRK vatandaşı bir ÇERKES arkadaşım KÜRDİSTAN'da PUŞİ takmadığı için sınır dışı edilmişti:/ süreç şu anda AİHM'e intikal etti.

A friend of mine with Circassian origins and Turkish nationality was extradited from Kurdistan for not wearing a keffiyeh. The case is in European Human Rights Court now.

Demonstrators wearing keffiyeh and demanding justice. Photo courtesy of Elif Ilgaz (@elifilgaz)

Kirmizigul's quest for justice has been taken up by others. His professors at university started “Öğrencime Dokunma Kampanyası” [tr] (Don't Mess With Our Students campaign) under the leadership of Mehmet Karlı, research fellow at Galatasaray University. They have organized meetings and issued press statements throughout the trial. Upon the issuing of the court decision, the group immediately gathered at the courthouse where Mehmet Karlı criticized the proceedings [tr]:

Bizimle dalga geçiyorlar. Bizimle oyun oynuyorlar. Daha önce Cihan serbest bırakılmıştı, biz umutlandık. Dedik ki ’Galiba hakikat görünüyor’ ama bu umut malesef bir taktiğin parçasıymış. Bizim bu işin peşini bırakacağımız zannedildi. Biz mücadeleyi bırakmadık buradayız. O dosyada Cihan’ı suçlayacak bir delil bile yok. Bir tek satır dahi yok. 22 yaşında genç bir çocuğun hayatıyla oynuyorlar.

They make fun of us. They play games with us. Cihan was previously released pending trial, and we were hopeful. We said maybe they'd started to see the facts, but that hope unfortunately was part of a bigger plan. They thought we would let the issue go. We will continue our fight for justice, we are here. There is not one single piece of evidence against Cihan in the case file. There is not one single line against him. They are messing with the life of a young 22-year-old man.

The supporters of jailed students gathered in Taksim Square in Istanbul on the evening of May 11, to protest injustice against political prisoners.

Armenia: NGOs Condemn Arson Attack on Gay-Friendly Bar

Onnik Krikorian — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:00:45 +0000

Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts the text of a statement by a group of NGOs including the Helsinki Citizens Assembly in Vanadzor, Women's Resource Center, and Pink Armenia, among others, condemning the 8 May arson attack on D.I.Y., a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan. The blog also reports that two members of a Neo-Nazi group, Dark Ravens Armenia, have been arrested [EN/AM].

Trinidad & Tobago: SEA “Ordeal”

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:28:22 +0000

Today, children across Trinidad and Tobago sat the SEA Entrance Examination for admission to secondary school. Coffeewallah calls it an “ordeal so intense, that it can be likened to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games novel”, explaining: “While these children do not have to kill anyone to survive, their self esteem, peace of mind and their very childhood, is marked with a stress that is at best unfair, and at worst, draconian.”

Venezuela: Video ‘Caracas, City of Farewells' Sparks Discussion on Emigration

Jea — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:35:32 +0000

It took the Venezuelan blogosphere only a matter of days to unleash an avalanche of criticism and mockery on the video documentary “Caracas, Ciudad de Despedidas” (”Caracas, City of Farewells”). The video compiles seventeen minutes of interviews on the experience of emigration in Venezuela and explores the reasons which have driven several of its citizens to join the growing Venezuelan diaspora. The sheer force of the response led to the video's removal from the YouTube channel on which it was initially posted, and resulted in public statements from those behind and those featured in the documentary.

Overall, the video met with a strong wave of harsh criticism, mockery, video responses, remixes [es], parodies [es], caricatures, memes and tweets, with the hashtag, #meiriademasiado [es], an allusion to the comment of one of the subjects in the video, “Yo sí me iría… Me iría demasiado [sic]” (”I would go, I would so go”) becoming a trending topic en Venezuela.

The video did receive some shows of support, albeit very few, which backed up the validity of its ideas, pointing out that behind the tone and the rhetoric (the most criticized aspects of the video), the video had served to stir up a highly sensitive topic within citizen media: emigration due to urban violence.

El brujo [es] points to what, in his opinion, was the main flaw in “Caracas, Ciudad de Despedidas”:

El problema del autocensurado video […] y de sus participantes, radica en la absoluta ajenidad y desconocimiento absoluto de la sociedad a la que dicen pertenecer, emitiendo juicios de valor totalmente sesgados y prejuiciados respecto a asuntos que obviamente conocen por lo que les dicen sus padres …

The problem with this self-censored video […] and its subjects, lies in their absolute alienation from, and ignorance of, the society to which they claim to belong, passing completely biased value judgments and spouting prejudice about issues on which quite obviously their only knowledge comes from what their parents told them.

Meanwhile, Luis, on Panfleto Negro [es] (Black Pamphlet), underlines the main message:

…detrás de todo el mandibuleo [*] y el “me iría demasiado” hay una realidad a la que no queremos dar la cara; Venezuela no ofrece a sus jóvenes ni un presente ni un futuro viable, ofrece más penurias y que todo vaya a peor antes de ir mejor. Hablar de porvenir en un país donde se depende de la salud de una sola persona es casi tan ingenuo como los testimonios de estos chicos.

…Behind all the “mandibuleo” [*] and the “me iría demasiado” (”I would so go”), lies a reality which we do not want to face up to; Venezuela offers its youth neither a viable present nor future, the country offers more hardship and the idea that things have to get worse before they can get better. To speak of the future in a country in which that future depends on the health of a single person is almost as naive as the views expressed by the kids in the video.

[*] In Venezuela, “mandibuleo” is a term used to describe the speech of upper-class youth in Caracas (who are also known as “sifrinos”).

On the other hand, Vanessa [es] opines:

Yo pienso que ellos sí tienen derecho a opinar lo que les dé la gana, así sea mandibuleado y mal redactado. ¿O es que acaso ya en Venezuela estamos tan acostumbrados a la mordaza en la boca que nos escandaliza una opinión distinta a la propia? Se ha formado una especie de dictadura opositora donde, al igual que los chavistas, todos repiten al unísono lo que les mandan a decir los “líderes opositores”. Al que se salga un poquito de la línea, los demás le caen a peinillazos.

I think that they do have a right to express their opinion on whatever they feel like, even if it's “mandibuleado” and poorly-executed. Or is it the case that in Venezuela we are so accustomed to being gagged, that we are scandalised by any opinion different to the one we hold. A kind of opposition dictatorship has sprung up, just like the Chavista one, in which everyone repeats in unison whatever the “leaders of the opposition” tell them to say. Let anyone step the slightest bit out of line, and the others come down on him like a ton of bricks.

Laura Solórzano, en her blog Debilidades y Vicios [es] (Weaknesses and Vices) points to another fact:

[…] mi preocupación es que muchos de esos “jóvenes del este del este[”] que estudiaron en los mejores colegios y universidades” sigue sin entender el verdadero problema en Venezuela. Que esos chamos de “me iría demasiado” son los hijos de esos venezolanos que hicieron plata y se olvidaron que existía un país y que algún día les tenían que responder.

My concern is that so many of these “east of east[”] youth, who attended the best colleges and universities still don't understand the real problem here in Venezuela. Namely, that these kids with their “I would so go” are the children of those Venezuelans who made a lot of money and forgot about the existence of a country which they would one day have to answer to.

Meanwhile, Mirelis Morales Tovar [es] explains why the video moved her:

Me movió… Si, no lo niego. Quien tiene dos hermanos lejos, otro con un pie aquí y otr[o] allá, así como casi todos sus amig@s a muchas horas de distancia, no puede ser indiferente a lo que se plantea en el video Caracas Ciudad de Despedidas.
Es una realidad. Queramos o no. […] Todos quienes vivimos en esta ciudad tenemos el temor de no regresar a casa y eso no es precisamente una sensación con la que debamos acostumbrarnos.

Pero fomentar la idea de que emigrar se ha vuelto la solución a los problemas que nos agobian en este país es ir creando una generación de desarraigados.[…] Otros países han vivido situaciones similares o peores. Y es el espíritu de su gente lo que les ha permitido salir a flote. [Venezuela] es una nación herida. Herida por su propia gente. Pero también es tierra de gracia, de oportunidades.

It moved me… Yes, I'm not going to deny it. A person with two brothers living far away, and another with one foot at home and the other abroad, and on top of all that, with almost all their friends living several hours away, can't just be indifferent to what was going on in the “Caracas, Ciudad de Despedidas” video. It's a reality. Whether we like it or not. […] Everyone who lives in this city carries this fear of not being able to make it home and this is not a feeling we ought to get used to having.

But to foment this idea of emigration now being the solution to the problems overwhelming us in this country, is to create an entire generation of rootless people […] Other countries have been through similar or worse. And it's the spirit of their people which allowed them to rise above it. [Venezuela] is a wounded nation. Wounded by her own people. But this is also the land of grace, of opportunity.

Asdrúbal [es], for his part, comments:

lo que sinceramente no me gustó [de las opiniones expuestas el video] fue el hacer entender que la responsabilidad de mejorar al país era de «otros» exclusivamente.

What I sincerely disliked [about the views expressed in the video] was the idea that the responsibility for improving the country lay exclusively in the hands of “others”.

Of the participants in the video, Raquel Abend van Dalen, was the first to break her silence. In her blog Merienda en el Espacio [es] (Snacking in Space), which was made private days later, she wrote:

La realidad de Venezuela nos afecta a todos. Tanto a los que viven en ella, como a los que se tuvieron que ir. Y cada quien busca la forma de sobrellevarla y de aportar para un cambio positivo. Yo amo a Caracas, yo a amo Venezuela. Es el país en donde nací y crecí. Venezuela es el espacio que me ha hecho ser quien soy, y que me ha brindado todas las oportunidades para crecer como persona y como ciudadana. Esta situación me ha servido de lección de vida: se vive y se aprende.

The reality in Venezuela affects all of us. It affects those who still live here, just as it does those who had to leave. And everyone is looking for the right way to uplift the country and to bring positive change. I love Caracas, I love Venezuela. It's the country I was born and raised in. Venezuela is the place that has made me who I am, and which has offered me every opportunity to grow as a person and as a citizen. This situation has served as a life lesson for me: you live and you learn.

The youth involved in the documentary published a communique [es] in response to the reaction their video received. In it, they explained their reasons for producing such a video, adding:

Nunca nos imaginamos, esperamos o quisimos este alcance y ahora que lo tenemos no nos lamentamos, porque a pesar de que la forma parezca banal, lo que ahí se expresa sigue siendo la verdad: tenemos miedo por la inseguridad que existe en Caracas y por ello no hemos podido vivir nuestra ciudad como quisiéramos.

We never imagined, hoped or desired it to reach this level, and now that it has, we don't regret it because, although the form might appear banal, what's being expressed remains as true as ever: we are afraid of the insecurity that exists in Caracas and because of it we have not been able to live our lives the way we would have wanted to.

The communique concludes:

Respetamos las opiniones diferentes a las nuestras, agradecemos el apoyo de quienes nos han respaldado e invitamos a todos a mirar más allá de la forma y analizar el fondo, a leer entre líneas y considerar que todos formamos parte de lo mismo aunque seamos diferentes. No es una cuestión de discriminar a un grupo, es de exponer a otro y no es para ofender a nadie, es para compartir lo que algunos sentimos.

We respect opinions different to our own, we are grateful for the support of those who have backed us and we invite everyone to look beyond the form and analyze the substance, to read between the lines and consider that we are all part of the same thing, even though we might be different. It's not a question of discriminating against a group, it's to display another, and there is no intention of offending anybody, this is to express what we feel.

Finally, Leopoldo Tablante [es] reflects on the similarities and the discourse of the upper and lower classes, and on how this mirrors a common spirit which makes living together and social advancement difficult:

Por novatada o por lo que sea, el video parece inspirado por un muy particular espíritu de indolencia ante el proyecto de construcción del bien común. Y sin ese espíritu, ¿qué nos queda?
Por la izquierda o por la derecha (si es que estos clivajes siguen teniendo vigencia), en la urbanización o en el barrio, Venezuela suena en monofónico. Y con ese empaque al vacío, ¿a quién le queda fuelle para pensar en una reconciliación?

Out of naivete or whatever the case may be, the video seems to be inspired by a very particular spirit of indolence, in terms of the project of working on the common good. And without this spirit, what do we have left? Whether on the left or the right (if these cleavages are still relevant), in exclusive housing developments or in the ghetto, the sound of Venezuela is in monophone. And with such an apparent void, who still has breath left in them to think of a reconciliation?

St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Stunned by Suicides

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:55:59 +0000

And Still I Rise is saddened by “news of three suicides by hanging have stunned the nation.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Three Score and Ten

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:31:47 +0000

Two Trinidadian bloggers - one living on island and the other a member of the diaspora - have come to the difficult realisation that their parents are growing old. In this post, they discuss the issue of ageism while sharing their mixed emotions and fears…

Denesia Venus, blogging at Outlish, says:

As adults, we sometimes neglect our parents. We get so caught up in our lives that we forget to look out for the same people who took care of us, without expecting too much in return.

When we were sick, who was the one person we wanted to take care of us? Our mummy, daddy, or a guardian who would dutifully be at our side, whether it was to rub us down with Vicks, feed us soup, or coax us to swallow some sort of ungodly concoction they conjured up, thinking it would make us better.

But, I often wonder about how many of us would be willing to reciprocate this, when our parents have aged, and they become ill (God forbid). When incontinence has set in, and they can no longer take care of themselves. What is it worth the life of a man, if, when he becomes ill, he is abandoned by his offspring, or his relatives?

Trini Like Salt, who lives in Boston, is aware that the geographical distance between him and his parents “doesn’t really allow one to observe their aging”:

I see that in intervals. I won’t see my mom for a year, my dad for longer than that (that’s a long story in and of itself), and when I do see them, I’m struck by what’s happening. My mom, especially, gives me pause. She was always the energetic one. She had to be, with 2 kids to raise pretty much on her own. But now, she’s definitely slowed, and slowing, down. She takes longer to get anywhere. She sometimes has to pause on steps.

I know it’s the order of things, but it’s still a helluva thing to watch your parents age - especially when you can see it clearly because you don’t see them for months at a time, and when you do, they’ve visibly changed.

Outlish, meanwhile, finds the number of elderly patients in hospitals to be a disturbing phenomenon:

I have realised that most of the warded patients are elderly persons, who have passed the designated three score and ten, and who have contributed what they could…until society casts them aside. They became ill, and their care quickly becomes the responsibility of someone else – especially if they live in homes. Not everyone has a spouse who is alive and well enough to take care of them, or children who can care for them.

There are the persons who live alone or with family, who are taken to the hospital, and are warded, and their relatives do not visit them. It is ironic, though, that when a warded patient’s pension cheque is received, relatives turn up for them to sign it.

She tells a sad story about “a lovely, yet severely ill, aged man [who] was hospitalized”:

His condition eventually improved steadily. Hospital staff even grew quite fond of him. A relative might visit him every other day or so – until, one day, he was discharged.

The patient was quite happy and excited to go home, after all he had been anticipating it for some time. The only thing is…no one ever came to pick him up. Calls to his relatives remained unanswered. The patient eventually realized what was taking place, grieved, and died a few days later. I was surprised to learn that this was not an unusual case in the hospital.

For the blogger, the story raises an important question:

Not that many aged people have relatives who are concerned enough to go the extra mile to care about them, and this got me thinking…Do we love and respect our elders the same way we did, as children? If your parents or grandparents were to become really ill, would you sacrifice your usual routine to take the time to care for them to the best of your ability?

I think that we do still love and respect our elders, but the relationship certainly is not the same. At times we are rude, disrespectful and impatient with our parents, but the reality is that – at times – when we are far from our parents, we tend to cherish and appreciate them more.

Trini Like Salt certainly seems to cherish his parents, especially his mother:

I think my mother is aging, but happily. I can’t know what it’s like to reach an age where the statistical fact of death is staring you in the face - but she has, and she doesn’t seem phased by it. I will someday, though, if I’m lucky.

Outlish ends by suggesting that distance - both physical and emotional - can be reduced by forging meaningful cross-generational relationships:

Sometimes if you take a little time to sit and have a chat with an elderly person, you will be amazed by how much they can tell you. Their stories may fascinate you, while bringing feelings of warmth, joy and nostalgia to them. Even if you heard the story a thousand times, let them have their moment. They have lived the very same lives we live, and they have struggled the same way we struggle. What makes me laugh is that sometimes we grow up to be almost just like them.

Taking care of your elderly loved ones is a serious responsibility, but I’m sure that when they pass on, you’d be much more comforted knowing that you did your best to help them, when they needed you the most.

In my humble opinion, just because we are young, and moving on, that doesn’t mean that we should turn our backs, and ignore the elderly. And we should be prepared for the day, when our parents need us to return the favour, and take care of them in their weakened years, just as they did for us.

The thumbnail image used in this post, “Elderly hands”, is by Rosie O'Beirne, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Creative Commons license. Visit Rosie O'Beirne's flickr photostream.

Jamaica: Better to Give

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:29:58 +0000

“The Bobo Shanti youth are well spoken and have a serene gentleness about them…[they] are excellent ambassadors of Rastafari”: Jamaian litblogger Geoffrey Philp finds himself “drawn to how they greet each other and me with the words: ‘Blessed Love.'”

Armenia: Bar Targeted By Suspected Nationalists In Arson Attack

Onnik Krikorian — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:34:48 +0000

At around 5.30am on 8 May, 2012, Yerevan's D.I.Y. bar found itself the target of an arson attack. Popular among alternative types and widely known for its gay-friendly policy, it is suspected that nationalists, possibly part of a new Neo-Nazi group, were responsible.

However, allegedly because of the bar's reputation as one of the few spaces for women's rights activists and members of the local LGBT community to gather in, much of the local media failed to report on the incident. Instead, news was spread on Facebook and Twitter.

@unzippedblog: Alleged arson attack towards my favourite #Yerevan bar DIY. Motives not clear yet, possibility of #hatecrime but not confirmed #Armenia

@onewmphoto: No sooner than posting a photo from last week of DIY in Yerevan http://bit.ly/KihKPd I hear of possible arson http://on.fb.me/JthxGQ #shocked

@unzippedblog: #Yerevan bar #DIY under arson attack. Suspected nationalist #neonazi This is a #hatecrime #LGBT #HumanRights #Armenia

@ArmenianWomen: DIY pub has been vandalized and burnt early this morning, according to the owner, they have been targeted by… http://fb.me/1pMuaAvSL

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) caught the attack on video.

Unzipped: Gay Armenia also made a post, noting how the attack coincided with Victory in Europe Day:

On 8 May 2012 when countries in Europe, former Soviet Union and elsewhere started marking the anniversary of the end of World War II, Armenian neo-nazi elements decided to mark it with an attack towards the oasis of freedom in Yerevan, my favourite venue - DIY bar. A place, where all the alternative types feel at home. A place, welcoming free-spirited people, sub-cultures, experimental things. Gay friendly.

[…]

It took the police 12 hours (!) to finally show up and take the matters seriously. Good news is that thanks to CCTV image and insights provided by DIY owners and employees, at least 2 suspects have now been detained (at the time of writing this post).

Ianyan made specific mention of a campaign to raise money to pay for repairs:

DIY bar sustained heavy damage to its front half, where the bar was located. An air conditioner was completely melted, with the only thing that ironically stayed in tacked being a bottle of Kilikia beer, sources said. Though the fire was put out, police took around 12 hours to arrive at the scene, a move that is being criticized by supporters.

Supporters have been gathering at the bar for the majority of the day, making posters with slogans such as “Your bombs don’t affect us,” DIY – no to fascism” and “I am DIY. Other bar owners in the area have dropped by to share their condolences. Messages of support were also left on the group’s Facebook page. Boxes to collect funds in order to start rebuilding are also being distributed. The bar did not have insurance.

Messages of support have also been left on the bar's Facebook page [ar]:

Խոսքեր ուղղակի չեմ գտնում վիրավորանքս ու զայրույթս արտահայտելու կատարվացի ու կատարողների վրա: ԱՄՈԹ!!! ԱՆՈՂՆԵՐԻՆ. հուսով եմ որ օրենքի ամբողջ խստությամբ կպատժվեն նրանք ովքեր կազմակերպել են այդ ամենը:

I simply can't find words to express my outrage and anger at what happened and those who did it. SHAME !!! TO THOSE WHO DID IT: I hope that those who organized all of this will be punished with all of the severity of the law.

I am D.I.Y, No to Fascism

Although many media outlets ignored the attack, some online outlets such as News.am and Lurer didn't. CivilNet also posted a video report which features an interview with LGBT and Women's Rights activist Tsomak Oga, one of the bars owners and the front woman for Pincet, a local Armenian Punk Rock band.

With two men identified on CCTV now in police custody, supporters are now closely following what happens next. However, even if the arson attack also put the lives of families living above the D.I.Y., some have also expressed doubts that they will receive adequate punishment for what the bar's supporters are already calling a hate crime.

Later the next day, in part organized on Facebook, clients and friends of the owners gathered to clean up and fund raise to repair damage currently estimated at around $4,000.

Thanks to Nairi Hakhverdi for the photographs of D.I.Y. following the arson attack.