Global Voices » Morocco

May Day Marked Around the Arab World

Ayesha Saldanha — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:25:02 +0000

May Day, or Labour Day, or International Workers' Day is recognised as a public holiday in many Arab countries, and demonstrations and rallies are held by unions and political parties to pay tribute to the role of workers and to call for workers' rights.

The National Transitional Council of Libya has declared [ar] International Workers' Day to be a national public holiday starting this year. Hamid tweeted from Tripoli:

@2011feb17: #Libya's first #MayDay (Worker's Day) holiday since 42 years ago! HAPPY HOLIDAY EVERYONE Yup #Libya has changed ;)

Demonstration on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Tunis. Image by Amine Ghrabi on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

Bahraini activist Maryam Alkhawaja remembered the migrant workers of the Gulf:

@MARYAMALKHAWAJA: On labor day we pay tribute to all the migrant workers who r treated like modern day slaves in #gulf countries

Demonstration in Barbar, Bahrain. Image by Twitter user @bahrainiac14.

Demonstrations were held all over Bahrain demanding the reinstatement of the hundreds of workers who were fired last year for taking part in protests. Many of the demonstrations were attacked by riot police with tear gas. Journalist Mazen Mahdi reported from Manama's souq (market):

@MazenMahdi: Despite tear-gasing #Manama souq labor day protest still on-going #Bahrain

Demonstration in Khouribga, Morocco. Image by Twitter user @__Hisham.

Imad Bazzi tweeted about the hacking of the Lebanese Ministry of Labour's website:

@TrellaLB: special delivery for the Ministry of Labor in #Lebanon on Labor day, a total makeover :D loooool http://www.labor.gov.lb/ thanks to #RYV

The website was changed to say the following:

We are RYV, short for Raise Your Voice, and we are simply a group of people who could not bare sitting in silence, watching all the crimes and injustice going on in Lebanon. We will not be silenced and brainwashed by your media. We will not stop until the Lebanese people mobilize, demand their rights, and earn them. We will not stop until the standards of living are raised to where they should be in Lebanon. We will not stop until this government's self-made problems are solved, like the power shortage, water shortage, rise in gas prices and rise in food product prices. We are RYV, expect us to break the silence, whether in the streets or on the Internet.
Silence is a crime

Demonstration in Cairo. Image by Hossam el-Hamalawy on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Morocco: Opposition to Mawazine Festival Grows

Salah Almhamdi — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:24:32 +0000

As the the world struggles with the global economic crisis, Morocco's Mawazine festival may be affected [ar] by growing resentment at its cost. Mawazine is an annual international music festival held in the Moroccan capital Rabat, which in 2012 will take place between 18 and 26 May [fr].

In the past international stars including the late Whitney Houston have performed at Mawazine, and tourists flock to watch the concerts. The opposition to the festival is not new; last year, activists pushed for the cancellation of Mawazine but failed. Protesters say the festival is a squandering of public money, demanding that its lavish budget should be invested in more pressing issues, but organisers argue that the main part of the budget comes from sponsorship and ticket sales. As the festival draws near, there are growing concerns that protests may break out.

Syrian singer Mayada El-Hanaoui performing at the Mawazine festival in 2011. Photo from Flickr by Magharebia (CC BY 2.0)

The blog The View From Fez posted:

It seems like 2012 will be a repeat of previous years as the 11th edition of the Mawazine Festival (18- 26 May) is again being criticised, not for the morals of the performers, but for excessive payments to artists. According to reports, Mariah Carey, is due to receive more than $830,000 for her gig at the closing ceremony of the festival in Rabat.

University teacher Talal wrote in a blog post entitled “Mawazine ou Mahazine” meaning “Mawazine (rhythms) or sorrowful people”:

J'aimerais pouvoir partager cette joie avec nos patients qui meurent aux urgences en attendant qu'un infirmier arrive, après 6 heures d'attente. J'aimerais tellement partager cette joie avec ce pauvre licencié en droit qui fait 3 fautes d'orthographe par phrase à cause du systèmes éducatif défaillant dans lequel il a grandi, ou avec cette fillette qui doit parcourir 3km pour 4h de route pour aller à l'école. J'aimerais tellement la partager, cette joie dont vous parlez, avec ces habitants des montagnes de l'Atlas qui sont morts de froid à cause d'un Hiver un peu trop dur, et de conditions de vie médiocres, sans électricité ni eau potable.

I would like to be able to share this happiness with our patients who are dying in the emergency rooms waiting for a nurse to come, after six hours of waiting. I would really like to share this happiness with the poor law graduate who commits three spelling mistakes in each sentence due to the broken education system with which he grew up, or with the young girl who has to walk four hours to get to school. I would like to share it, this happiness which you [El Habib Choubani, Moroccan minister] talk about, with the residents of the Atlas mountains who die of cold becuse of a slightly too harsh winter and miserable living conditions, with neither electricity nor drinking water.

A meeting of the National Campaign for the Cancellation of Mawazine. Photo from Flickr by Magharebia (CC BY 2.0)

The festival is sensitive political issue. Marketing manager Insouciant tweeted [fr]:

@yucefj: Benkirane ordonne la chabiba du #PJD de ne pas se manifester contre #Mawazine…Vive l´expression libre quoi!!

Benkirane [Morocco's prime minister] orders the youth of #PJD [Justice and Development Party] not to protest against #Mawazine… So much for freedom of expression!!

As opposition grows, the music festival seeks to become financially independent to counter the criticisms. Safae El Mansouri argued:

@safaemansouri: Mawazine funds: 57% SMS games, TV broadcasting ads, 34% #sponsorship, 8% from #Moroccangovernment. STOP blaming #Government for #MAWAZINE.

The following video [ar] by the National Campaign for the Cancellation of Mawazine documents the year-long efforts to get the festival cancelled:

This video from MegaMawhoub features an anti-Mawazine song:

Morocco: A Protest to End Forced Marriage After Rape

Amira Al Hussaini — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:28:07 +0000

Moroccans are taking a stand tomorrow (March 17) in protest against the plight of 16-year-old Amina Filali, who committed suicide after being forced to marry the man who raped her. Amina's marriage to her rapist was approved by a judge. Her suicide has raised a storm of reactions both on social networks and on the ground.

Moroccans are planning to take their protest to the Parliament at noon tomorrow, in order to draw attention to the plight of women like Amina who are forced to marry their rapists, who also get to escape punishment.

The Facebook page in support of Amina - a rape victim who committed suicde after being forced to marry her rapist

A Facebook page, entitled No to Rape, with the Complicity of the State, states [ar]:

موعدنا جميعا إذن يوم السبت 17 مارس أمام البرلمان على الساعة 12 ضهراً ، لكي تبقى ذكرى أمينة حية فينا، فلا يكون موتها عبثا لعلها تكون أخر ضحية لمثل هذا الفعل الشنيع المخزي.

Our meeting is on Saturday, March 17, in front of the Parliament, at noon. This is so that Amina's memory remains alive. We don't want her death to be in vain. Perhaps should be the last victims of such despicable and shameful acts.

The page also lists the details of tomorrow's sit-in as follows:

1. Meeting point will be in front of the Parliament at noon. This is not a march so we will not move from in front of the parliament.

2. The sit-in is a citizen action organized by independents, they will be identifiable with their T-Shirts (we’ll have additional t-shirts for those who want to acquire them)

3. Posters and flyers with the demands (the demands are available in the about section of this page) will be distributed to participants. You may also bring your signs if you want to.

4. Several prominent civil society activists, NGOs and artists will be participating.

This is our cause, all of us, men and women of Morocco, so be there!

Meanwhile, netizens continue to interact with Amina's story. Rafik Ayoub, from Rabat, blogs [ar]:

قضية أمينة الآن,أصبحت قضية الشعب المغربي بأسره و شرف جميع المواطنين الذي يحلمون بتكريس الديمقراطية الحقة و العدالة الإجتماعية,من أشبه المستحيل الحديث عن التنزيل السليم للدستور دون إنصاف أمينة و أسرتها و محاولة رد الإعتبار لكرامتها التي عمرت في الحضيض,لن أكثرت بعد الآن بالوعود المتكررة بإصلاح القضاء و ضمان استقلاليته دون مراجعة بعد فصول القانون الجنائي التي أضحت تنصر الظالم أكثر من إنصاف المظلوم,.

Amina's story today has become the cause of all Moroccans and the honour of all citizens who dream of implementing true democracy and social justice. It is almost impossible to speak about the drafting of a proper constitution without doing justice to Amina and her family, and trying to restore her dignity which has been dragged into the sand. I will not bother with repetitive promises to reform the judiciary, and guarantee its independence, without referring to chapters of the Criminal Law, which has become a source of support for the oppressor against the oppressed.

Morocco: Girl Forced to Marry Her Rapist Commits Suicide

Afef Abrougui — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:44:41 +0000

Amina, a 16-year-old girl from Larache in northern Morocco, who was forced to marry her rapist, chose to put an end to her life by swallowing rat poison last Saturday. According to al-Masa'a [ar], Amina was raped by a man ten years older than her when she was barely 15. And to preserve what is called “family honour”, Amina's marriage to her rapist, was arranged. A judge approved the marriage.

According to the same newspaper, Amina took the rat poison while she was in her husband's (rapist's) house. When he noticed that her health was deteriorating, he rushed her to her family's home. On the way he did not stop beating her, said Amina to her family, a few hours before her death.

Amina's story deeply touched and outraged Moroccan netizens, who have been using the Twitter has tag #RIPAmina to mourn the young girl. Here are some reactions:

@marihaep: @Un_Marocain Ne prenons pas nos rêves pour D réalités, personne ne sera jugé, personne ne payera pour son viol, encore - pr sa vie #RIPAmina

@marihaep: @Un_Marocain: Let's not take our dreams for reality, no one will be held accountable, no one will pay the price for neither her rape, nor her life #RIPAmina

@Un_Marocain: En tant que marocain, je me sens plus coupable que triste pour ce qui est arrivé à cette petite fille. #RIPAmina #Maroc

@Un_Marocain As a Moroccan man, I feel more guilty than sad for what happened to this child

@nadalouis: I don't wanna live in a world were a girl has to choose between marrying her rapist or taking her own life #RIPAmina

@mahamiou: How many Amina's are out there ? Forced to marry their rapist ? #Morocco #RIPAmina

‏ @mahi_elbarrad: عندما ينظر العالم العربى للمراة على انها مخلوق مثل الرجل له كافة الحقوق وكامل الاحترام هنا فقط تنجح ثورته ‎‬#RIPAMINA‪

@mahi_elbarrad: When the Arab world starts looking at women as creatures equal to men, who have all rights, and deserve all respect, only then its revolution will succeed.

@citizenkayen: La famille, la société et la justice ont donné au violeur un véritable RIP: Rape In Peace :( #RIPAmina

@citizenkayen: Family, society, and justice gave the rapist a true RIP: Rape In Peace :( #RIPAmina

@Tindars: Et puis comme d'habitude nos Tweets ne changeront absolument rien dans cette histoire. #RipAmina

@Tindars: And as usual our tweets will not bring any change to this story

‘Amina is my Bouazizi'

In homage to Amina, Moroccan blogger Mehdi B. Idrissi wrote a post entitled Amina is my Bouazizi. His reference is Mohammed Bouazizi, the street vendor from Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, who set himself alight in protest against police abuse, triggering a massive wave of protests that led to the Tunisian revolution and the fall of the Ben Ali regime.

Bouazizi's desperate act of self immolation brought change to Tunisia, but will Amina's suicide bring change to the male dominated culture in Morocco, and in the Arab region?

Mehdi writes:

Bouazizi might’ve started a political revolution; But Amina has triggered the awakening of the long sleeping humanitarian in me. Thousands of girls like her are spread above our ground, most of them silenced by force and threat. While you guys are centered in finding Joseph Kony in the deep forests of Uganda, your kids are being stolen from you in your own land. I can sit here all day haranguing my despair, sobbing the death of what one day could be my daughter or my friend, it won’t change much. If we don’t do this together, if we don’t strife hard to change this Moroccan mentality we’re being trapped in we won’t reach far.

For more citizen media reactions in English, French, and Arabic check out this Storify created by Global Voices author Hisham Almiraat.

The number one cause for suicide is untreated depression. Depression is treatable and suicide is preventable. You can get help from confidential support lines for the suicidal and those in emotional crisis. Visit Befrienders.org to find a suicide prevention helpline in your country.

Video: Share Your Challenges and Win an iPad2 in Contest

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:19:21 +0000

The Bertelsmann Foundation's FutureChallenges initiative wants to hear about the challenges faced by people all around the world. By making a video and uploading it to their Facebook page, you could win a new iPad2.

Future Challenges focuses on finding the ways different global trends relate to each other in different regional contexts. Through articles and Local Views from countries all around the world, writers delve into how topics like climate change, demographic change, natural resources and biodiversity, health, security and Anti/Terror Policy, education, globalization, migration, new governance and technology affect each other and impact communities.

From the contest's terms and conditions:

With its ‘FutureChallenger’ Facebook campaign, FutureChallenges wants to give interested people the opportunity to present their own views about what challenges the future will bring.

The international competition starts out with the aim of giving different people from different cultural backgrounds and disciplines the chance to submit a powerful video that will help raise awareness about the issues they feel strongly about.

The deadline for the videos is March 22nd, when voting will commence on selected videos to choose the winner.

Joh Correia, a singer from the Banda Quero in Brazil puts forth her challenge for the future in this subtitled video:

Adnane Addioui in Morocco believes that the challenge is in making people care and take responsibility for issues:

Rapper Ty Phoon in the Netherlands believes that privacy and control of our online footprint is a challenge:

What do YOU think are the future challenges? Make a video and submit it through the Future Challenges Facebook page and win an iPad2!

Greece: Athens, 1st African Film Festival

Veroniki Krikoni — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:28:50 +0000

The first African Film Festival will take place in Athens, Greece, from February 23 to 29, 2012, with the collaboration of various African countries' embassies and consulates. Twenty one films from Angola, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia will be screened. The event is hosted by the Greek Film Archive [el].

Morocco: “Stop French Made TGV Rail Project”

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:46:19 +0000

StopTGV.com is a web campaign launched by a number of Moroccan NGOs. It calls for the cancellation of the controversial French-made Tangier-Casablanca TGV rail link due to start operating by December 2015 and which is worth an estimated 20 billion dirhams (US$2.4 billion). The campaign calls on the authorities to “reconsider this costly project in a country like Morocco ranked second last in the region in terms of human development.”

Morocco: Historic Telecom Operator Blocks Skype

Hisham Almiraat — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:58:21 +0000

“What a dreadful news today!” laments the blog Moroccan Geeks [fr], which reports that the Moroccan historic operator Maroc Telecom is now officially blocking all VoIP services, including Skype. The news sparked a heated debate on social media. Many netizens speculate the move is meant to bolster Maroc Telecom's paying telephony services.

Morocco: New Video Calls on Moroccans to “Wake Up”

Hisham Almiraat — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:14:25 +0000

As we approach the first anniversary of the start of the youth-based pro-democracy movement “February 20“, activists are calling for a nationwide demonstration. Anartiviste posted this video on YouTube to convey the movement's message.

Morocco: Student Jailed for Insulting King in Video

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:16:02 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

On Monday 13 February, 2012, a court in the Moroccan city of Taza sentenced 24 year-old student Abdelsamad Haydour to three years in jail and a fine of USD 1,200 for criticizing the king of Morocco in a video [ar] posted on YouTube. According to the official state news agency [fr], Mr. Haydour is accused of “attacking the sacred values of the nation.”

According to one Moroccan news website Mr. Haydour had no legal assistance during the hearing and the Court did not appoint a lawyer to defend the accused in accordance with the Moroccan law. Under Moroccan law the king is considered “inviolable.” But the Moroccan constitution also guarantees (Article 25) “freedom of thought, opinion and expression in all its forms.”

The incriminating four-minute clip was posted in early January, during a week of social unrest and violent clashes between demonstrators and anti-riot police in the unemployement-stricken city of Taza. In the video, Abdelsamad Haydour is seen talking to a group of people in the street, harshly criticizing the king and his entourage (video posted by zawali66):

The ruling comes less than a week after an 18-year-old appeared before a court in the capital Rabat accused of committing a crime of lèse-majesté by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking King Mohammed VI.

The news of the sentence against Mr. Haydour provoked some strong reactions on social networks.

Rasta Basta tweets:

@Basta: just a thought: in #Morocco defaming God does not lead to prison, defaming the king does, for 3 yrs; any conclusions? #HR #ArabSpring

Samia Errazzouki tweets:

@Charquaouia: I've lost count of the people jailed in Morocco since the new constitution and elections for merely expressing themselves with words.

Burrito tweets:

@Burrito_SB: How many people should get arrested for simply expressing their opinion do we need to realize that nothing has changed in #morocco #maroc

Despite sustained growth, Morocco still suffers from high unemployment, especially prevalent among the youngest with more than a quarter of graduates unable to find a job.

Many Moroccan cities witness daily demonstrations over unemployment often led by university graduates who wish to integrate the public sector. Last month four of these protesters set themselves on fire in the capital Rabat. One of them lost his life.

But it is in the city of Taza where the social tension reached its peak. The city witnessed several weeks of violent clashes between demonstrators and anti-riot police, culminating on February 1st when the police proceeded to a house-to-house search, arresting several suspected rioters.

On Tuesday, 17 individuals from Taza were sentenced to up to eight months in jail for “vandalism and destruction of public property,” the local media reported.

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

Morocco: Busted for Posting Caricatures of the King on Facebook

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:23:23 +0000

On February 7, 2012, Walid Bahomane appeared before a court in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The 18-year-old is accused of “defaming Morocco's sacred values” by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking king Mohammed VI of Morocco.

This isn't the first time a Moroccan Internet user has faced such charges. In 2008, Fouad Mourtada, a young engineer, was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating the king’s brother on Facebook. An international outcry and a campaign of support forced the authorities to release Mr Mourtada a month after his arrest.

Walid Bahomane's arrest is the first since a constitutional reform last summer (theoretically) revoked the “sacred” character of the monarch. The king is still, however, the focus of a great deal of devotion in the country.

A copy of the police report filed against Mr Bahomane emerged on the Internet, revealing a first: according to the document, items seized by the police are “two Facebook pages (sic) containing phrases and images insulting the sacred values, and an IBM computer.”

Copy of the police report filed against Mr. Walid Bahomane as posted on Facebook.

Despite calls for his release the judge decided to send Walid to a juvenile detention facility near the capital pending his trial. A group of netizens have reacted to the arrest of Mr Bahomane by creating a support group on Facebook called “Mohammed VI, my freedom is more sacred than you!”, where members are invited to publish and share cartoons of the king.

Cartoon representing King Mohammed VI posted on Facebook

The group's preamble reads [ar]:

هذه مجموعة تضامنية مع الشاب وليد بحمان، 18 سنة، معتقل بسجن الأحداث بسلا بتهمة إهانة قداسة محمد السادس على الفيسبوك. فلنثبت لمحمد السادس أن حريتنا أقدس منه

This is a solidarity group with the young Walid Bahoman, aged 18, detained in the juvenile detention facility of Salé for insulting His Majesty Mohammed VI on Facebook. Let us prove to Mohammed VI that our freedom is more sacred than him.

Zineb El Ghazoui, a co-creator of the group, writes on her blog [fr]:

[cette arrestation bat] en brèche la propagande de l'Etat marocain autour du changement et des prétendues avancées démocratiques.

This arrest flies in the face of the propaganda put out by the Moroccan state around the idea of change and the alleged democratic advances.

On Twitter, some are timidly following suit. Musique Arabe tweets [fr]:

@MusiqueArabe Opération soutien à Walid Bahomane - publions tous sur nos profils la caricature de notre choix.

@MusiqueArabe Operation support Walid Bahomane - publish a (king's) cartoon of you choice on your profile.

Despite the recent constitutional reforms in Morocco the regime does not seem prepared to tolerate any violation of its red lines. In July 2011, a few days after the adoption of the new constitution, a French newspaper, Le Courrier International, was censored [fr] in Morocco because it contained an irreverent caricature of the king.

The independent press has often suffered the wrath of the regime when it dared tackle the sensitive subject of the monarchy. So much so that the Internet seems today the last frontier where most Moroccans can still exercise their right to free expression.

Something Moroccan netizens seem to be fully aware of, inspired by the Arab spring, they seem determined to close ranks and show solidarity with Mr Bahomane.

As a result, exercising censorship will be even more difficult for the regime.

Africa: Highs and Lows of the 2012 African Cup of Nations

Chellsy Alis Manning — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:43:56 +0000

Beyond their ethnic, political and regional divides, people unite together around their national football team. We saw the First Lady of Gabon dancing like an excited schoolgirl every time one of the eleven players of the ‘Azingo Nationale' scored a goal and became “the Panthers” for their country.

The people of Equatorial Guinea were ecstatic with the qualification of their national team, languishing in the midst of one of the most ferocious dictatorships. According to Human Rights Watch, journalists who have visited the country to report on the human rights situation have been detained, interrogated, censored and deported.

In the fervour surrounding the 2012 African Cup of Nations, there are two key points that attract attention. The first is the absence of some of the higher achieving teams in African football.

Michael Dodje's blog explains [fr] the unusual goings-on in this year's Cup of Nations:

Imagine a Euro competition without Germany, Spain, Holland and England. Impossible you say, even though Ukraine or Poland would not have to participate in the qualifying rounds as host nations. And yet, this is what happened in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Indeed, for the first time in ages we will not see Egypt, Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria or even South Africa in this championship. How did this happen?

Remembering that the five teams mentioned above have won 15 out of 27 previous Cup of Nations tournaments. Nicholas Mc Anally on le229.com responded [fr]:

…If these teams do not qualify then there will be others to replace them. It's a breath of fresh air seeing teams like Botswana, Niger and Equatorial Guinea making their debuts in the Cup of Nations.

Another novelty in this year's Cup is the way that the thorny issue of bonuses has been resolved. A post on the blog plat du pied explained [fr] what happened on the 15 November, 2011:

After the cancellations of the matches against China, Gabon, Salvador and Mexico, Cameroon has again cancelled a friendly match at the last minute for the fifth time since the start of the season. The players went on strike, once again, in protest against the federation over their bonuses for the match.

On the same blog, a statement issued by the Cameroon players, known as the ‘Indomitable Lions', said:

Due to the absence of attendance bonuses, the players have decided not to travel to Algiers and to not play any part in the match against Algeria scheduled for the 15 November.

Different solutions to the problem have been found by building on past negative experiences. A post [fr] on the blog marocfootball.info, concerning the Moroccan national team, the ‘Atlas Lions' stated that:

The President of the highest court in Moroccan football announced that a deal has been made with the Atlas Lions in that they accept that they will not receive any form of attendance bonus if they fail to reach the quarter finals of the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Côte d'Ivoire, not long out of a prolonged and disastrous civil war, will pay their national team the ‘Elephants' a bonus of 5 billion CFA francs (1 million US dollars) if they win the final. The blog afrik11.com states [fr]:

The 23 players in the side receive 5 million CFA francs (10,000 USD) in attendance bonuses. This amount will be paid if the team is eliminated in the first round. In the quarterfinals, the bonus of each player will rise to 8 million, rising further to 10 million in the semifinals and then to 20 million in the final (40,000 USD). The coach, Zahoui François will also enjoy his share of the pie, receiving double the bonuses of his players.

afrik11.com also comments [fr] on the bonuses paid to the Mali national team, the ‘Eagles of Mali' at the beginning of January:

Earlier this week the Malian football team received their bonuses for qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. Two hundred million CFA francs (40,000 USD) were given in cash to the players and coaching staff before the national team left Lomé (Togo) for the final stage in their preparations for the competition.

The Equatorial Guinea team in training by @FlorianK_Sport

Equatorial Guinea, co-hosts of the event, is a country unable to build a stadium capable of hosting a match due to the frequent rains. Yet abidjan.net posted a blog surrounding their first victory [fr] in the competition:

Teodorin Obiang, the Minister for Agriculture presented a cheque for 500 million CFA francs (760,000 euros) to Francisco Pascual Eyegue Obama Asué, the Minister for Sport, in the absence of the national team in Mbini (mainland Mali). He added a cheque for 20 million CFA francs (30,400 euros), 10 million that had been promised for each goal scored ; the team only won the match 1-0 but he explained that the goal disallowed by the referee deserved to be credited with a bonus.

This blog points out that the actions of Teodorin, tipped to succeed his father as president, are under scrutiny by the Americans.

The generosity of petrodollars being used for the bonuses for the Equatorial Guinea football team makes the Republic of Guinea look like a poor relation. In Conakry, the first problem was in trying to find the money to pay for the bonuses. As reported by lejourguinee.com, the country set up a National Committee for Support, led by General Mathurin Bangoura, Minister for Housing and Urban Development with the aim of raising funds for the bonuses. Notably, the first contributions came from the Indian community settled in the country.

The least well-spent money during the tournament, without doubt, has to be the bonuses awarded to the ‘Teranga Lions', the Senegalese national team, who had entered the competition as strong favourites and fell at the first hurdle. Yet, at the beginning of the competition the blog can.starafrica.com stated [fr] that:

There are some concerns surrounding the bonuses given to the Senegalese side. On Wednesday the Sports Ministry gave the squad bonuses amounting to 140, 650,000 francs in full for their qualification for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Africa: 2012 Cup of Nations Delivers Many Surprises

Jane Ellis — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:42:35 +0000

Unlike Senegal, who failed to win their opening match in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana, another competition favourite, managed to win their opener, beating Botswana, who were participating in this tournament for the first time. This, the first match in Group D, took place on Tuesday 24 January in the Stade de Franceville, Gabon.

The Black Stars of Ghana finished the match with ten men following a red card for John Mensah in the 66th minute. They did all they could to win [fr], and were not phased, according to FourFourTwo, who tweeted:

#Ghana show no remorse over Mensah red bit.ly/xkpul2 #AFCON2012

Botswana fought bravely during their first ever appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations. A video summary of the Ghana-Botswana match is available here [fr], courtesy of Direct 8 Sport.

Mali met Guinea for the other opening day Group D game, which saw the Eagles off to a promising start in the tournament, beating Guinea 1-0. Boukary Konaté, a Global Voices author who tweets under the name @Fasokan [fr], posted reactions from the stadium in Macina, Mali:

@Fasokan: Grand bruit et applaudissement à Macina pour le but malien #can2012

@Fasokan: Loud noise and applause from Macina following Mali's goal.

and also [fr]:

@Fasokan: les supporters de Macina espèrent sur un deuxième but malien

@Fasokan: Fans from Macina are hoping for a second goal from Mali.

On Wednesday 25, the first match on Day 2 of Group A, Zambia versus Libya, resulted in the first nil-nil draw of the competition. Torrential rain caused kick-off to be delayed by an hour and a quarter with the match finally starting at 6.15pm, after some doubt as to whether it would go ahead.

Zambia were anxious to secure their place in the quarter finals against a Libyan team who seemed re-energised following their defeat on the opening Saturday of the tournament. The match was played on a waterlogged pitch, as can be seen in this photo posted by Alexandre Nakbi (@Alex_Nak), showing its condition moments before kick off [fr]:

@Alex_Nak: Voila l'état du terrain actuellement. #CAN2012 #Libye #Zambie pic.twitter.com/MSHrD1ae

@Alex_Nak: Here is the state of the pitch right now. #CAN2012 #Libye #Zambie pic.twitter.com/MSHrD1ae

Rain also delayed the Day 2 Group A match between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea. Tournament favourites Senegal were eliminated in a surprise 2-1 win for Equatorial Guinea, assuring a place for the latter in the quarter finals. The defeat of the Lions of Teranga greatly disappointed [fr] their fans:

@observateurs: Le Sénégal sort de la CAN. “On aurait dit des jeunes de centre de formation” #can2012 fb.me/10kgX5eNf

@observateurs: Senegal exit the Cup of Nations. “They looked like kids from a training camp” #can2012

@founseni_soro: Sénégal Grande nation de football, . mais aussi grande déception de la CAN2012. Allez les zelephants #civ2010

@founseni_soro: Senegal - a great footballing nation, but great disappointment in the 2012 Cup of Nations.

In Day 2 of Group B, Angola could not overcome Sudan, one of the weakest teams in the Cup, despite two goals from Manuchi on Thursday 26 January in Malabo Stadium, Equatorial Guinea. If they had won, Angola would have qualified for the quarter finals. The four goals from the match can be seen in the following video [fr]:

Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso met at Malabo later that day for the second match in Day 2 of Group B. The Elephants of Ivory Coast beat the Stallions 2-0, qualifying for the quarter finals while Burkina Faso were eliminated.

Fans of Ivory Coast watching the match against Sudan by @FlorianK_Sport

Day 2 of Group C on the Friday saw Gabon beat Morocco 3-2 and Tunisia beat Nigeria 2-1, securing quarter final places for the Panthers of Gabon and the Eagles of Carthage.

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations can be followed on the BBC website and on Twitter using the hashtags #CAN2012 and #AFCON2012.

Africa: 2012 Cup of Nations Kicks Off!

Dan Horlor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:47:12 +0000

[All links to external content are in French]

The Africa Cup of Nations began in Bata, Equatorial Guinea this Saturday January 21, 2012, kicking off three weeks of fierce competition. The Cup of Nations, the most important international football competition in Africa, is taking place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea between January 21 and 12 February.

Supporters in Africa and around the world have been enjoying the build-up to the two opening matches; dancing, light and sound were all part of the spectacle:

GaGuie the Mascot! With GAGUIE : GA as in Gabon, GUI as in Guinea and E as in Equatorial! Image from fr.cafonline.com with permission

Here is a round up of the first three days of the tournament.

Matchday One

Libya took on Equatorial Guinea in the curtain raiser on 21 January, and it was co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, making their tournament debut, who took a surprise 1-0 win.

With just six minutes remaining, Balboa, the Equatorial Guinea number 11 finally opened the scoring after a one-on-one with the Libyan goalkeeper. The score stayed 1-0 until the final whistle, to the delight of the Equatorial Guinea fans who had packed the stadium.

The Senegalese fluffed their entry to the competition with a 2-1 defeat inflicted by Zambia on the same day. Senegal fans took to the web to place the blame on coach of the national team.

Touy wrote on Seneweb News [fr]:

le souci avec un entraîneur local c'est que même s'il se rend compte que le capitaine par exemple Niang n'est pas au niveau il aura la crainte la peur ou la pudeur de le faire sortir au détriment de la victoire bien sur!!

The problem with having a local coach is that even if he realises that the captain, let's say Niang, is not good enough he'll either be afraid or too modest to take him off, to the detriment of getting the win of course!

Amara Traoré [fr] on RFI sheds some light on the subject for us:

Tout le monde savait avant même le début de la CAN que les zambiens sont très vifs et utiliseraient cette vivacité pour gérer les sénégalais beaucoup plus costauds. Alors lui l’entraîneur et son staff devraient trouver un bon système pour les contenir avant de les attaquer.Donc je trouve kil n'a pas fais son boulot qui était de voir les choses venir et de jouer avec des joueurs rapides mais surtout de ne pas trop bourrer cette attaque ou personne ne se retrouve .

Everyone knew, even before the Cup of Nations began, that the Zambians are very energetic and would use that energy to combat the much bigger and stronger Sengalese. So the coach and his staff should find a system to contain thembefore going on the attack. He hasn't done his job which is to anticipate and play fast players but above all not to throw men forward who then can't find each other.

Matchday Two

The second matchday saw the entry of one of the competition favourites: the ‘Elephants' of Côte d'Ivoire. A magnificent strike by Didier Drogba in the 39th minute secured the victory for Côte d'Ivoire over Sudan. The win for the Elephants wasn't enough for every Ivorian fan on the net however. Many felt that they could have done better.

Phox Hermann [fr] said:

la vérité est bonne à dire heinnn. ELEPHANT ke moi jai vu là c N'IMPORTE KOI

Good to tell the truth, riiight. That was no ELEPHANT that I saw

Bi Tia Vincent Toh [fr] added:

la conservation d'un unique but nous a donné des sueurs froides.
Que Mr Gervino soit un peu plus réaliste devant les buts,
Que Mr Yaya Touré regagne sa place au milieu et joue effectivement comme à city
Que la defense cesse d etre trop permeable,

keeping hold of a one goal lead brought us out in a cold sweat.
If only Mr Gervino [sic] was more realistic in front of goal,
If only Mr Yaya Touré could get his place back in the middle and play as well as he does at city
If only the defence stopped leaking,

Angola also played their first game and overpowered Burkina Faso with a 2-1 victory.

Matchday Three

Gabon, the second co-host team of the 2012 Cup of Nations showed their strength with a 2-0 win over Niger, the opening Group C match of the tournament played in a fantastic atmosphere in the Stade de l'Amitié in Libreville.

Rodrigue Magaya [fr] commented on Aubameyang's goal on Facebook:

que dire?!!!merci aux gars, il fallait ça pour la beauté du spetacle et naturelement monter a tt nos adversaires que nous sommes la!!bien en place et on a pas peur!!!vive la can, et vive encore plus nos pantheres;que Dieu benisse le gabon!!!!!!

what can I say?!!!thanks to the lads, we needed that for the beauty of the contest and naturally to show all our opponents that we're here!!right on the spot and with no fear!!long live the cup of nations, and may our panthers live even longer;God bless Gabon!!!!!!

The 2012 Cup of Nations can be followed on TV5 Monde, Canal+ Afrique and on Twitter and Google+ via the hashtags #CAN2012 (in French) et #ACN2012 (in English).

Morocco: Activist Rapper Freed

Hisham Almiraat — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:06:35 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests.

Mouad Belghouat aka “Al Haked” (The Indignant), a 24-year-old Moroccan rap artist and outspoken critic of Morocco's monarchy, was released on Thursday from prison, where he had been held since last September.

Mouad was officially charged with assaulting a pro-regime protester but his supporters claim the charges were trumped up in an attempt to silence growing discontent. His lawyers repeated bail requests were rejected by the judge, who adjourned the trial six times.

The rapper is one of the most recognizable figures of the leaderless pro-democracy February 20 Movement, the local extension of the so-called Arab spring.

In reaction to the movement's regular protests, King Mohammed VI introduced a series of constitutional amendments in July prompting early legislative elections in November which put the Islamist PJD party at the helm of the government. But the youth-based movement vowed to continue its protests, denouncing high-profile corruption, political arrests and a monarchy that still enjoys extensive executive powers.

The announcement of Mouad's release on Thursday spread like fire on Facebook and Twitter. Several Al Haked supporters rushed to the Okacha prison in Casablanca to welcome him. A defiant Mouad walked out of prison shouting “long live the people”.

Larbi, who campaigned for the release of Mouad, shares the first pictures of the freed rapper:

Picture by Omar Radi, shared on Twitter by @Larbi_org

Shortly after his release, the rapper returned to the stage. In an improvised concert in his neighborhood, he performed in tune with a jubilant crowd of supporters (video posted by direlibghiti):

Omar Radi describes the scene [fr]:

Les gamins du quartier chantent par choeur avec #Freehaked. Concert improvisé, sono pourrie, mais tout le monde est joyeux.

The children in the neighborhood are singing in tune with #Freehaked. Improvised concert, poor sound, but everyone is happy.

Aida Alami was also there. She tweets:

Mouad on the stage… Big celebration in mouad's neighborhood to celebrate his new freedom

Hasna Ankal thinks activists should capitalize on their “success” and call on the release of more “political prisoners.” She shares this poster on Twitter:

Al Haked is Free, Now Free Everyone - Posted by Hasna Ankal

When on Thursday, the judge decided to release Mouad, the efforts led by activists seemed to have finally paid off. For months they ran a consistent campaign both online, through their website, Facebook page and Twitter accounts, and offline, organizing press conferences and sit-ins, rallying more supporters and prominent public figures around their cause.

But Thursday's court ruling remains a “bittersweet victory” for activists like Maria Karim, who was at the forefront of the Free Haked campaign. The judge in fact pronounced [fr] the rapper guilty of assault on a royalist supporter, but decided to release him because he served his sentence of four months.

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests.