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The world is talking, are you listening?

Rituals, reflections, poetic “assaults”… From May 17 to 23, 2013, the first Latin American Congress of Community Living Cultures [es] will invade the streets of La Paz, Bolivia. The city will host government representatives from Brazil and Colombia, along with more than one thousand activists.
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Mockup by Leonardo Maciel. Full credits on Solon Maia's blog. (CC BY 3.0)

Images of people kissing went viral on Facebook, blogs and Twitter in Brazil, under the hashtags #beijaço (protest by kissing) and #Laerte. Strips by Laerte published on Folha de São Paulo newspaper, triggered the ‘protest by kissing’ against the anti-gay preacher Marco Feliciano, recently elected Brazil Human Rights Committee Head.

Flisol 2013 Banner.

From the Patagonia to Havana, hundreds of computer users across Latin America are choosing freedom over control by installing free software on their computers. On April 27th, groups of free software enthusiasts will be installing free software in dozens of cities across Latin America as part of FLISOL [es], the Latin American free software installation festival.
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Desarrollando América Latina (Developing Latin America) has published a video summary of the regional hackathon DAL 2012, where 400 participants and 70 social experts developed 80 applications. Here [es] you can see Global Voices’ coverage of the event.

Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is reporting on Facebook that about 500 residents of neighborhoods resettled by Brazilian mining company Vale are blocking road access to its coal mine in Moatize, Tete province. The peaceful protest is for greater compensation. The paper is reporting the rail line is also disrupted.

Brazilian journalist Fernando Rodrigues complains [pt] about FIFA's veto of the name of a “Brazilian public stadium in Brasília, built with the money of tax payers”. The stadium is named after the famous 50′s-60′s football player “Mané” Garrincha. FIFA does not allow that name to be used during the 2014 World Cup, claiming that it is inadequate for an international audience.

Cuban blogger, teacher and GV author Elaine Díaz Rodríguez was denied a visa to enter the US [pt] Wednesday, April 3, 2013, preventing her from participating in the International Congress of Latin-American Studies. Brazilian journalist Alex Haubrich reported Elaine's frustration with and criticism of the US government's criteria.

Anonymous Brazil released a dossier [pt] about Marco Feliciano, recently elected as chairman of the Committee for Human Rights and Minorities in the Deputy Chamber amid the outrage of human rights defenders due to his vocal hardline views on homosexuality and racist remarks. The dossier contains information on legal cases involving the evangelical preacher and congressman as well as “ghost workers” from his office.

Photo by Cícero Bezerra shared by Homofobia Não on Facebook.

On March 27, a protest against the recent election of congressman and controversial evangelical preacher Marco Feliciano as chairman of the Committee for Human Rights and Minorities in the Brazilian Deputy Chamber ended with repression against LGBT rights advocates. On Youtube, Rodrigo Grassi shared the moment when one of the protestors was arrested.

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The interview, in Portuguese and Guarani, has English subtitles.

Brazilian activist Nayana Fernandez interviewed some of the former dwellers of the indigenous settlement known as Maracanã Village, in Rio de Janeiro, days before they were violently evicted by the state government.

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On March 22, the Brazilian Government deployed [pt] 60 forces of the police and army to the lands of the Munduruku indigenous people, at the Tapajós river basin. Activists and bloggers believe that the mission is to ensure the realization of studies of impact of the construction of yet another hydroelectric plant. “Munduruku's carbon credits” have been bought by international private investors, A Pública reported [pt].

On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]:

“A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to Italy, by way of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bolivia. From authoritarian regimes to democratic countries, none are exempt from criticism on the topic. In 2013, torture remains as endemic, omnipresent and multi-faceted as ever”.

Using his social networks to promote a pirate audio version of ‘The Alchemist', the Brazilian best selling writer Paulo Coelho proposes readers to show the industry “that “piracy” is not a threat to their business”.

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While the citizens of Porto Alegre protest against the increase in bus fares [pt], bus companies demonstrate against the adjustment of wages. On February 19, a “turtle operation” took place, in which vehicles ran at speeds below 30 km per hour. The website PortoAlegre.cc shared a number of suggestions from citizens to improve public transport in the city.

Digital arts gallery Urban Arts and It’s Noon launched an online challenge that has attracted artists from all over Brazil: If you were Leonardo da Vinci, what would your Mona Lisa look like?

Shared by Chico Rei on his blog

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Protest in defence of Cocó dunes, 16/02/2013, Fortaleza. Photo: Dunas do Cocó on Facebook.

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The main clash is between the version of Folha, which practices censorship under the guise of brand protection, and the version of Falha, which evokes freedom of expression.

Brazilian journalist Lino Bocchini informs [pt] that the case of Folha de São Paulo newspaper against the satirical blog Falha de São Paulo will finally be judged on February 20. A protest has been called on Facebook for the day of the trial.

Presentation of the website “Brazil without make-up, an honest guide to my beautiful country.”

Brazilian LGBT activist @Rafucko posted a video on Youtube introducing the website “Brazil without make-up“. The initiative aims at demystifying many Brazilian stereotypes while criticizing the government of the city and state of Rio de Janeiro for the lies told on the preparation of the World Cup 2014.
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MTV Brazil has cancelled its contract with the Testosterona's blog, affirmed the group ‘Nós Denunciamos’ [pt] on Facebook. It is believed that MTV Brazil attitude came as a consequence of the TV network headquarter's decision in the US and social mobilization against the misogynistic program. Global Voices published an article about the case last year.

One of the main leaders of the landless movement in Brazil was shot dead on Saturday as he was cycling home in Rio de Janeiro state. Publishing a picture he took of Cicero Guedes, Marcos Pedlowski [pt] emphasises that “the loss is not only human, but deeply political. Besides being an exemplary man, husband and father, Cicero embodied the best qualities that true leaders must have”. According to the Catholic Church's Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), the number of land activists threatened has jumped from 125 to 347 between 2010 and 2011.

One year after the violent eviction which became known as “Massacre of Pinherinho“, in the city of São José dos Campos, state of São Paulo, Amnesty International Brazil demands [pt] an immediate and permanent solution for the families that were evicted from the Pinheirinho settlement on January 22, 2012.

What was the best of the crazy world of Brazilian memes and Internet culture in 2012? One thing is for sure “Brazil can do virals”, says Anna Heim from The Next Web, in an post she wrote in collaboration with Bia Granja, from youPIX.

Photo by Edilson Lima on Facebook (2,156 shares).

Brazilian journalist Mariana Alvanesi (@morrodovidigal) was assaulted by the police while covering a demonstration by dwellers of the Vidigal neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, on December 13, 2012. The dwellers were trying to impede the demolition of a sports court. Dulcilene Guiri recorded the moment in video.
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In World Policy Blog, Global Voices contributor Robert Valencia highlights five “top stories from 2012 that will have an impact in 2013 and beyond”: the war on drugs, Hugo Chávez's re-election, the Colombia-Nicaragua dispute over the San Andrés Archipelago, the Colombian peace process, and Brazil's booming economy.

The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) denounces [pt] human rights abuses against the indigenous populations in an open-letter [pt] to the United Nations. Among several issues, APIB calls the attention to the Guarani-Kaiowa genocide, the mining projects on indigenous lands and the illegal constructions in the Amazon rainforest – such as the Belo Monte dam -, and the lack of education and healthcare.

Léa Promaja, the alias of an independent journalist working in the Balkans, posted an audio interview [in Portuguese, with English and French subtitles] with Izabel Pimentel, “the first Brazilian woman crossing the Atlantic single-handed.”

The Youtube account A Luta Guarani released a video interview [pt] with the Guarani-Kaiowá anthropologist Tonico Benites. He comments on the attacks by farmers of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and calls for more dialogue to solve the conflicts. In April 2012, an open letter [pt] written by Benites describing an intimidation he suffered on the road with his family was widely shared on the web.

After much anticipation, Brazilian film “Gonzaga: De Pai Para Filho” about legendary musician Luiz Gonzaga has been moving audiences, and nowhere more than in the country's northeast where forró music is a part of life. Brazilian film blogger Chico Fireman shares his personal experience [pt] watching the film.

Footage of ‘poisoned’ river by Aty Guasu on Youtube.

A video showing the contamination of the Ypo'i river, near the settlement of an indigenous Guarani community, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, has been circulating on the web. The Guarani, struggling for their land, “believe it was deliberate and ‘not an accident’”, Survival International reports.

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