Global Voices » Norway

Norway: Discussing Latin America at the Oslo Freedom Forum

Marianna Breytman — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:24:09 +0000

Last week, the fourth gathering of the Oslo Freedom Forum took place, organized by the Human Rights Foundation in the Norwegian capital. Under the slogan “From darkness to light,” the forum brought together world figures that aim to tackle humanitarian crises and exchange ideas to mitigate their effects. Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices Online, was one of the main speakers during a session entitled “Voices in the dark.”

Among the topics that generated major interest throughout the forum was the current crisis in Syria and the political repression that some activists live with under Vladimir Putin's new government in Russia, as well as a review of the first year of the “Arab Spring.” Nevertheless, the event covered a series of topics that involved other world regions, among which was Latin America.

Humberto Prado, from Venezuela, was the first Latin American to speak before the forum about the reality of prisons in his country. Using horrific images of prisoners shooting into the air, which contrast one of a group of convicts playing in a symphony orchestra, Prado unveiled a terrifying statistic: 5,066 convicts have died since 1999, while 14,460 have been injured. He also asked the European Union to pay attention to Venezuelan penitentiaries.

Nicolás Perez, Director of Ecuadorian daily El Universo, exposed the iron fist of Rafael Correa's government, which left the newspaper with a million-dollar fine for publishing a letter to the editor where Correa's actions were criticized for allegedly ordering the army to open fire against a hospital during a police brawl, which led to a massive international condemnation against the lack of freedom of expression in the country.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Rodas, also from Ecuador and the founder of the Ethos Foundation, announced an innovative index that measures the poverty level in Latin America and has generated criticisms of Correa's government as well.

Lastly, Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, highlighted the problem of drug consumption prohibition, which points to indiscriminate imprisonment of minorities in the United States — primarily the Hispanic population.

In Oslo, we had the opportunity to sit down with Venezuelan native Marcel Granier, General Director of Radio Caracas Television, whose signal was removed from open transmission in his country in 2007. Granier, who also participated in the second meeting of said forum on assault against the Venezuelan press, highlighted the importance of bringing up human rights issues in Latin America at European events due to the “connection that exists between Latin Americans and European countries like Spain and Portugal.”

With regards to the forum, Granier affirmed that “every day there is a greater sense of consciousness” about the current situation in Venezuela, which “increases [incidentally] the level of consciousness on a global level,” and brought attention to the fact that respecting human rights in his country will be fundamental to guaranteeing the well-being of all Venezuelans, in addition to securing diaspora's return to their land.

On Twitter, some Oslo Freedom Forum participants, like Oslo Scholars Program (@OsloScholars), emphasized certain excerpts of the Latin American speeches:

There is no dignity in prison: what exists is social cleansing” - Humberto Prado. Such a powerful speech on prison conditions in Venezuela.

Likewise, Runrunes (@RunRunesWeb) [es] pointed out that Humberto Prado's speech was quite powerful:

#Runrunes ALTO:De alto impacto ponencia de Humberto Prado (Observatorio Vzlano de Prisiones) en el Oslo Freedom Forum- http://ow.ly/aOfcW

#Runrunes STOP: Extremely compelling speech by Humberto Prado (Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons) at the Oslo Freedom Forum - http://ow.ly/aOfcW

Venezuela journalist Nelson Bocaranda (@Desconvocara) [es] highlighted an important declaration from Mauricio Rodas during the event:

Mauricio Rodas,miembro de la Fundacion Ethos que hizo radiografía de pobreza latinoamericana anuncio en Oslo q buscara Presidencia Ecuador

Mauricios Rodas, a member of the Ethos Foundation, who took an X-ray of Latin American poverty, announced in Oslo that he will seek Ecuadorian presidency

The following are images from the Latin American presentations at the Oslo Freedom Forum, courtesy of MarieBW and the author of this post.

Reception at Oslo's City Hall.

Participants share ideas in the intermission between speeches.

The forum closed with the awarding of the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissidence.

Video: Mothers Around the World Share Their Different Experiences

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:04:26 +0000

In the International Museum of Women, the current online exhibit is all about mothers. MAMA: Motherhood around the Globe explores the different aspects of motherhood through video interviews to women in Nigeria, Kenya, Afghanistan, USA, Colombia, Hungary, China and Norway.

Lusina from Kenya is one of the interviewed mothers for IMOW

Mama to Be is the section on the expectations around motherhood and pregnancy, and how the different women, some not even out of their teens reacted and faced their impending motherhood.

How many women in the world actually have an opportunity to decide if, how, and when to create a family? What are the reasons that women today are choosing – or refusing to choose – motherhood?

In Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby, the stories these women share on their birthing experiences serve to illustrate how different cultures view birthing and health.

Every day, thousands of women worldwide give birth to new human life. While many of these women will have happy and successful deliveries, hundreds will die in childbirth. How do things like geography, income, and age affect your chances of a safe delivery? What is being done to improve upon the world’s maternal mortality rate, and how can you get involved?

In the Featured Voices section, stories were submitted by the audience and six stories were selected by an international jury for the Community Choice Awards. One of them is this excerpt of the hard situation in the Colombian hospital maternity wards by Jorge Caballero for Gusano Films.

In Birth Journal Maternity Excerpt, a mother of six arrives to a checkup and then to deliver a baby. During the checkup, her story comes out through the questions asked by the doctor, and his attitude towards her changes, ending up with a suggestion for a tubal ligation and a curt farewell. During delivery, there isn't even time to move the lone woman to the gurney and into the maternity room, she gives birth on her hospital bed.

One-on-one interviews in Meet the Mamas focus the conversations around the woman and her personal story, for example, it helps contrast the different situations between a teen mother in Liberia, living what she calls in Critical Condition, and a teen mother in the United States, who through family support is able to move on ahead and continue her studies.

This exhibit in the International Museum of Women aims to get more people informed on the state of Women's Maternal Health, on their Get Involved page they suggest different ways in which readers can participate in improving the statistics and raise awareness themselves on these important issues.

Australian Broadcaster Wins First Indigenous Journalism Award

Simon Maghakyan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:39:12 +0000

The winner of the first journalism award for indigenous broadcasters hosted by the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) in Norway on March 29, 2012 was National Indigenous Television from Australia. The winning video and other finalists can be viewed on the WITBN website.

Armenia: Straight to the village

Onnik Krikorian — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:38:07 +0000

With a GDP per capita estimated at just $5,400 in 2011, Armenia is one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union. But although development in the center of the country's capital, Yerevan, might paint a different picture for some tourists, especially from its large Diaspora, the economic situation is most evident in the regions of the landlocked South Caucasus country.

With regional development increasingly a priority in Armenia, online site CivilNet has teamed up with Timothy Straight, one of Armenia's few non-Armenian foreigners who have made the country their home. Traveling to a different village each week, the former head of the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Honorary Consul for Norway and Finland, hopes to change all that.

“What we're trying to do is gather information and spread it, so that people can get correct understanding of what village life in Armenia is like,” explains the text accompanying a promotional video for Թիմը գնում է գյուղ (Tim goes to the village), otherwise known as Straight to the village.

The first episode went online on 20 September last year and takes a look at two villages close to the border with Turkey whose income is based on fruit production.

In the latest installment uploaded to YouTube on 2 April, and subtitled in English and Armenian, Straight travels to the impoverished town of Vardenis close to Armenia's Lake Sevan. The purpose of the visit is to meet with a local NGO working with disabled children.

On 12 March, the program celebrated its 20th episode with an interview with Straight where he “talks about some of the highlights and explains the reason why he does the program and the potential long-term effect of the show.”

Knighted by the King of Norway in 2010, Straight's involvement in regional development in Armenia is not limited to the video reports. Homeland Handicrafts, for example, is a voluntary organization dedicated to creating a sustainable income for artisans in Armenia.

Particularly using online tools, a blog as well as Facebook and Pinterest pages are also used to promote the initiative. Timothy Straight can also be followed on Twitter at @timothystraight.

Norway Hosts First Journalism Award for Indigenous Broadcasters

Simon Maghakyan — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:17:53 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

Norway is widely known for hosting the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Awards. This month, the Scandinavian country is hosting the debut of another important yet largely unknown journalism award ceremony for the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) on March 29, 2012.

Nine finalists have been selected out of 24 entries in the indepth reporting category of the WITBN Indigenous Journalism Awards (2012 WIJA). The ceremony will be held in Kautokeino, Sápmi, Norway.

The official announcement from WIJA explains:

2012 WIJA is the first international Indigenous journalism award dedicated to presenting Indigenous perspectives through journalism in television and audiovisual media. While journalistic standards and ethics are the essences of this honor, the awards in particular look for the portrayal of Indigenous perspectives on stories of local, national or international impact.

This videos shows the 2012 finalists from indigenous networks in developed countries such as Taiwan, Australia, Norway, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

One of the nominated programs, from Māori Television, Aotearoa New Zealand, covers what should be labeled as “Occupy Easter Island” (it started a year before the Occupy movement in the U.S.), a rarely reported protest by Rapanui activists who occupied a government-owned hotel for half a year, demanding recognition of Indigenous rights and demonstrating the unfairness of occupation.

'We are ready to die for our land' says Rapanui activist in program broadcast by Maori Television of New Zealand

Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) is a land where colonization has forced the indigenous population to a small corner of the land, and where tourism had created an unsustainable economy. The sustainability problem is widespread in indigenous peoples' struggles all over the world to survive and preserve their culture.

The indigenous use of broadcast journalism and modern technology to promote the rights of their communities is a step forward. Read more about the finalists and their programs, here.

AMAZIGH NRK Sápmi Norway

AMNESTY CHIEF VISIT TO UTOPIA National Indigenous Television, Australia

JOURNEY HOME Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Canada

KIMBERLY GAS HUB SERIES National Indigenous Television, Australia

POLITICIAN REPORTS HIMSELF TO THE POLICE NRK Sápmi, Norway

TE PITO O TE HENUA Māori Television, Aotearoa New Zealand

THE VALUE OF WATER ‘Ōiwi TV, Hawai’i

VUVU’S LAST PIECE OF LAND Taiwan Indigenous Television, Taiwan

WATER EXPLOITATION Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Canada

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

Macedonia: Fuel Prices Continue to Rise

Filip Stojanovski — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:18:43 +0000

Continuous increase of fuel prices is a cause of much concern for citizens of Macedonia, and some vent the tension through humor. The prices are set by a regulatory body, and more and more social media users object to the fact that the lion's share of the revenue in fact goes to the government, stymieing the growth of the business sector.

On his blog, Zoriv published comparisons of the prices of oil derivatives in Macedonia, the USA and the EU [mk], and also calculated how much fuel one can buy on an average salary in various countries [mk]. (Both posts are in Macedonian, but the tables with country comparisons are in English and easily comprehensible.)

So, according to Zoriv, Latvia has the lowest price of gasoline in Europe (EUR 1.20), while Norway has the highest (EUR 1.94). Consumers in Macedonia have to pay EUR 1.4. While the official explanation for rising fuel prices is always the change of price of crude oil, Zoriv points out that a major factor in forming the end price are the excise taxes that go directly to the state budgets in countries with the highest prices (Norway, Holland, Italy, the UK, and Greece). He adds:

In Macedonia, for instance, the total taxation together with the profit margin for the merchants form around 70% of the price (Official Gazette of Republic of Macedonia, no. 138/09 and 52/11). The difference between Macedonia and the EU countries, alongside the salary levels which are incomparable, is the tragic fact that even the slightest increase of oil derivative prices affects the personal material existence of every citizen of Macedonia. The latest data show that fuel consumption has decreased by 30% [mk]. The increase of fuel prices leads to a spiral of the increase of all other living expenses, while family budgets drastically decrease.

The Macedonian government temporarily abolished the excise before the June 2011 elections, but returned it later, raising the prices [mk] in August.

By calculating how much fuel a citizen can buy with an average salary, Zoriv tried to shed light on income disparities: in the United States, one can buy 4,296 liters of gasoline on an average monthly salary. In Europe, the top spots go to Switzerland (3,441 l), Luxemburg (3,439 l), and Germany (3.075 l). The lowest on the list are Macedonia (243 l) and Albania (194 l), with a “disastrous ratio of 1:14″ compared to the leading “rich” countries.

According to the 2010 edition of the annual publication 200 Largest Companies in Macedonia, prepared and published by the Euro Business Center – Skopje, the two largest companies in the country are: the sole oil refinery OKTA (owned by the Greek interests, privatized while the current PM Gruevski served as the Minister of Finance) and the biggest oil derivatives distributor Makpetrol, with the total revenues of EUR 512 million and EUR 350 million, respectively.

The prospects for the future seem bleak. According to the UNDP report “Assessing the Economic Impact of Climate Change,” Macedonia also faces numerous other challenges in the energy sector.

Social media users shared various kinds of data related to the fuel price increase, such as the table [mk] showing the elements that form the prices of fuel, originally from an Radio Free Europe article [mk] by Srgjan Stojanchov:

Elements of fuel prices in Macedonian Denars.

They also posted various reactions to ongoing developments with the fuel prices, and the most shared were the humorous responses, such as this joke: “Would you like to take your girlfriend someplace expensive? - Take her to a gas station!” The latest chuckle is a demotivation-style meme featuring the late Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito and a supposed laconic quote in Croatian:

Photo of Tito and a supposed quote: You say the gasoline got more expensive? Well, why don't you make a deal with the Non-Aligned countries?

During the Cold War, Tito was famous for striking a balance between Eastern and Western blocs, with Yugoslavia serving as a kind of a buffer, to the commercial benefit of its people. In 1961, he co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement, which included many oil-producing nations, resulting in favorable trade relations. A famous political-economic quote attributed to him (in the Lexicon of Yugoslav Mythology) is this: “The grain that we received from the Americans is much superior in quality to the grain the Soviets did not deliver.”

Black Women in European Politics: from Struggle to Success

Vivienne Griffiths — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:42:20 +0000

Nowadays, it is a common occcurence to witness African-born women having successful careers in Europe. Despite the evident challenges, many of them have also distiguished themselves in politics. Still, it was not so long ago that such success would have seemed impossible. To achieve greatness, these women have often come a long way, both literally and figuratively.

In order to better appreciate the progress made, one needs to think back to the 19th century and consider the image of black women in Europe then. For the purpose of this article, we will only address the story of women from the African diaspora who have been elected to positions of leadership in countries other than the colonial powers that previously ruled their home countries.

A history of racism

Postcard depicting Sarah Baartman, Wikipedia (public domain)

The story of the “Hottentot Venus” is symptomatic of the relationship between the West and African women in the last two centuries. Sébastien Hervieu, an Africa correspondent for Le Monde newspaper in France, tells the story of Sarah Baartman from South Africa, better known as the “Hottentot Venus”. In an article published in October 2010 in his blog afriquedusud.blog.lemonde.fr, he reviews [fr] Abdellatif Kechiche's [fr] film about her tragic story, Black Venus:

Au début du XIXème siècle, cette servante est emmenée en Europe et devient un objet de foire en raison de ses attributs physiques proéminents. Certains “scientifiques” utilisent sa présence pour théoriser l'infériorité de la “race noire”. Lorsqu'elle meurt à seulement 25 ans, ses organes génitaux et son cerveau sont placés dans des bocaux de formol, et son squelette et le moulage de son corps sont exposés au musée de l'Homme à Paris. C'est seulement en 2002 que la France accepte de rendre la dépouille de Saartjie Baartman à l'Afrique du Sud, concluant ainsi un long imbroglio juridique et diplomatique

At the beginning of the 19th century, this servant was brought to Europe and became a fairground attraction because of her prominent physical attributes. Some “scientists” used her presence to support the theory that the “black race” was inferior. When she died at only 25, her genitals and her brain were placed in jars of formaldehyde. Her skeleton and a molding of her body were exhibited at the Museum of Man in Paris. It was only in 2002 that France agreed to return Sarah Baartman's remains to South Africa, thereby drawing to a close a long running legal and diplomatic imbroglio [fr].

Sarah Baartman died in Paris on 29th September 1815. More than 100 years later, the Khoïkhoï people in South Africa called on Nelson Mandela to demand the restitution of Sarah's remains. The demand was met with the refusal of the French authorities and the scientific community citing the inalienable heritage of science and the state, but France eventually repatriated the body to South Africa where, in accordance with the rites of her people, it was purified and placed on a bed of dried herbs which were set alight.

Norway

Two centuries later, the position of black women in Europe has drastically changed. Amongst others, many have now been elected to political office.

Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen on Wikipedia (Norway) (CC-BY 3.0)

Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen in Norway is one of these women, and one of the most interesting because she shows the contradictions that still exist within some countries. She had to step down from a ministerial post in the Norwegian government just four months into her job. An article on Grioo.com sets out her career [fr]:

Originaire de l’Ile de la Martinique, à 44 ans, Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen a obtenu son poste de ministre de l’Enfance et de la Parité au sein du gouvernement de centre-gauche norvégien le 18 octobre 2007[…] Elle est mariée avec Terje Osmundsen, un homme politique membre du parti conservateur norvégien. Après son mariage, elle a pris la nationalité norvégienne et renoncé à celle de la France. Le pays n’autorisant pas la double nationalité.

Born in Martinique, 44 year old Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen gained her post as Minster for Children and Equality in the centre-left Norwegian government on 18th October 2007 […] She is married to Terje Osmundsen, a politician and member of the Norwegian conservative party. After their marriage she took Norwegian nationality and renounced her French nationality as the country does not allow dual nationality.

In an interview with Patrick Karam from the website fxgpariscaraibe.com in 2008 she explains [fr] some of the things that played in her favour in being appointed and why she stepped down following a controversy over an alleged conflict of interest in the hiring of a political appointee:

En Norvège, il y a obligation de représentation des deux sexes dans les conseils d’administration, 40 % de femmes au minimum. Nous menons aussi une politique pour inciter les hommes à prendre plus de responsabilité dans le foyer pour laisser les femmes entreprendre professionnellement. J’ai travaillé aussi sur l’enfance en danger, les violences, les maltraitances… J’ai travaillé quatre mois sans être critiquée, c’était une expérience réussie. Les critiques sont venues avec la nomination d’une médiatrice. Avec du recul, tout le monde voit que c’est une bagatelle. J’ai cédé au pouvoir de la presse.

In Norway there must be parity of representation between the two sexes within the administrative councils, with a minimum of 40% women. We are also pursuing a policy which encourages men to take more responsibilty at home, leaving women able to pursue a career. I also worked on child endangerment, violence, abuse… I worked for four months without criticism and it was a real success. The criticism began with the appointment of an ombudsman for children. In hindsight everyone can see it was something being made out of nothing. I gave in to the power of the media.

Sweden

Nyamko Sabuni, Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA)

Nyamko Sabuni [fr] is a former minister in Sweden, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Born in Burundi in 1969, her father fled the country due to persecution. She was elected to the Riksday as a member of the parliament in 2002, and at 37 years old became a Swedish goverment minister from 2006 to 2010. An article published on congopage.com sets out [fr] her progress.

En 1981, à l’âge de 12 ans, elle est arrivée en Suède avec sa mère et trois de ses cinq frères et sœurs. Là, elle a retrouvé son père, un opposant politique plusieurs fois emprisonné au Congo (actuellement République démocratique du Congo), venu dans le pays nordique grâce à Amnesty International.

In 1981, at the age of 12, she arrived in Sweden with her mother and three of her brothers and sisters. There she was reunited with her father, an opposition politician imprisoned several times in Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), who had come to the Nordic country with the help of Amnesty International.

The Netherlands

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wikipedia (public domain)

The Hirsiali blog presents a profile of Ayaan Hirsi Ali:

Née en Somalie en 1969, excisée à l’âge de 5 ans, Ayaan Hirsi Ali est scolarisée dans un lycée musulman pour filles. Soumise à ses parents, à son clan et à sa religion jusqu’à l’âge de vingt-trois ans, elle profite d’un passage dans sa famille en Allemagne, pour s’enfuir et échapper à un mariage forcé. Réfugiée aux Pays-Bas, elle adopte les valeurs libérales occidentales au point de devenir une jeune députée à La Haye et de s’affirmer athée. Pour avoir travaillé dans les services sociaux du royaume, elle connaît, de l’intérieur, les horreurs tolérées à l’encontre des femmes au nom du multiculturalisme.

Born in Somalia in 1969 and circumcised at the age of 5, Ayaan Hirsi Ali went to a Muslim girls school. Subjugated by her parents, her clan and her religion up to the age of 23, she took advantage of a trip to visit family in Germany to flee and escape a forced marriage. Taking refuge in Holland, she adopted Western liberal values to the extent that she became a young member of parliament in The Hague and declared herself to be an athiest. After having worked in the country's social services she knows, at first hand, the horrors tolerated against women in the name of multiculturalism.

A fierce apponent of some of the aspects of Islam and African traditions that go against basic human rights, she founded an NGO whose aims are set out, on her website Ayaan Hirsiali in the following terms:

In response to ongoing abuses of women’s rights, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her supporters established the AHA Foundation in 2007 to help protect and defend the rights of women in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture.

Italy

The first black person to be elected to the Italian parliament is Mercedes Lourdes Frias from the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. This is how she is described [en] on the blogging site Black Women in Europe:

Mercedes Lourdes Frias was born in the Dominican Republic. She was the first black person elected to the Italian Parliament in 2006 where she served through April 2008. She was a member of the Commission on Constitutional Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee on the Implementation of the Control of Schengen Agreement, and the Control and Surveillance on Immigration. She works on anti-racist activities and welcoming immigrants. From 1994 1997 she was a member of the Council of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. In the town of Empoli Ms Frias served a councilor for the environment, rights of citizenship, equal opportunities.

The most surprising of the black women to have been elected via universal sufferage or appointed to positions of elevated responsibility in European countries is Sandra Maria (Sandy) Cane, elected in 2009 on a Northern League ticket; the most racist and xenophobic of Italy's political parties. One of the party's objectives is the secessoin of some of the northern part the Italian peninsula (though the boundary is not clearly undefined) because the party leaders do not like Southern Italians.

The blog stranieriinitalia.it (foreigners in Italy) gives a brief outline of her career [it]:

Il primo sindaco di colore in Italia ha la camicia verde. Sandra Maria (Sandy) Cane si è aggiudicata con appena 38 voti di scarto la fascia tricolore a Viggiù, cinquemila anime in Valceresio, tra Varesotto e Canton Ticino. Alle sue spalle, una lunga storia di migrazioni. Di Viggiù era originaria la famiglia materna del neosindaco, scalpellini emigrati in Francia, dove durante la seconda guerra mondiale arrivò il padre, un soldato statunitense afroamericano. Il neo sindaco è nata a Springfield, nel Massachussets, nel 1961, ma a dieci anni, dopo la separazione dei genitori, ha seguito la madre nel paesino d’origine.

Italy's first coloured mayor wears a green shirt [the colour worn by Northern League supporters]. Sandra Maria (Sandy) Cane won the tricolour scarf of the Mayor of Viggiù, a town of five thousand inhabitants in the Valceresio region, between the town of Varèse and the Canton of Tessin, with a margin on only 38 votes.
A past with a long history of migration. The new mayor's family on her mother's side were stone masons, originally from Viggiù, who migrated to France. During the Second World War, her father, an African-American soldier from the United States arrived in France. The new Mayor was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1961, but ten years after the separation of her parents she followed her mother back to her home village.

This, according to the blog associazioneumoja.wordpress.com, is how she found herself [it] in politics, with a rather unlikely ideological platform:

Della Lega sono sempre stata sostenitrice, anche se mai vera militante. Quando ero ragazza morivo dal ridere a vedere i loro manifesti, curiosi e di forte impatto. Poi quindici anni fa, più o meno, mi sono avvicinata di più. […] Vedo come «molto americana» anche la Lega, per la richiesta di rispettare rigorosamente la legge, anche per i clandestini. Anche se a Viggiù, precisa, non ci sono problemi di integrazione, nè tantomeno di sicurezza. Tra le priorità, guarda al rilancio turistico del paese, con manifestazioni e attenzione alla cultura.

I have always supported the Northern League without ever being very active. When I was a little girl their posters used to make me laugh, they were curious and had a big impact. Then, around fifteen years ago I became a little more involved. […] I see it as being “very American”, even the Northern League, because they insist on a rigorous respect for the law, even for illegal immigrants. Even so, she points out that there are no problems of integration and still yet security in Viggiù. One of her priorities is to reignite tourism in the area, with events and a focus on culture.

Despite the marked progress in the inclusion of African women in European politics, they represent isolated cases as, beyond the difficulties they face due to racism or culture and religion, even within their own families and their own societies, they also have to face up to the challenges that all women across the world face [fr]: domestic violence, the challenge of bearing children, marginalisation and under-representation.

The Balkans, Norway: Anders Breivik and Srđa Trifković

Veronica Khokhlova — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 22:28:54 +0000

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about the Balkan dimension of the July 22 terrorist attacks in Norway: “[…] [Anders Breivik] has the revelation that his path to violent idiocy began with his shock at the Kosovo bombing campaign in 1999. So to the other sets of concerns he understands badly, he added the history of the Balkans, and his main, heavily quoted and cribbed source on that (as well as on some theological topics!) is one Srđa Trifković.”

Norway: The Lesbian Couple who Saved 40 Teenagers

Solana Larsen — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:37:06 +0000

U.S. gay rights blog Talk About Equality explain what compelled them to write a hugely popular post earlier this week calling attention to a lesbian married couple who rescued 40 teenagers during the massacre on Utøya island in Norway last week.

A Letter From China to the Norwegian Killer

Andy Yee — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:34:03 +0000

Many Chinese netizens could not comprehend the atrocities committed by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway. But they are less concerned about the motives and ideologies of Breivik. In their eyes, Norway is a paradise, where people enjoy a high standard of living and do not need to confront the pressures of survival. How could it happen?

To explore this question, a female Chinese netizen Fatty Flower has written a long letter [zh] to Breivik on her Douban blog. She suggests Breivik to be a Chinese in his next life so that he can appreciate how lucky he is to be born as a Norwegian. Written in a highly satirical manner, the letter reads like a rambling of the life struggles that ordinary Chinese have to face right from their birth. The post proved a hit and was reprinted in numerous other channels, including the Guangzhou newspaper Southern Metropolitan Daily.

Below is a translation of the original post, together with a few selected comments in the readers' section:

你好布雷维克，我是一位来自中国的女青年，几天前听说你杀了至少86个人，今天晚上借着拉屎的时间，我酝酿了下思路，决定写一封信给你，我可能做不到语气平静，如果各种嬉笑怒骂让你不爽，请贱量！当然我觉得你不大可能真的看到这封信。

首先，你TM真是太走运了，生在挪威这种地方，上学不要钱，从头到JB都有ZF养，娶了老婆之后，继续给你养小孩，下岗了还有钱拿能在家喝茶！拔diao 无压力说的就是你这种情况你知不知道！在遥远的东方不知道多少人羡慕你！还有你的JB！！！！你怎么就不珍惜幸福美好的生活！

中午看CCAV的报道，记者们到了你家楼下，我由衷的想赞叹一句哇塞豪宅啊！好几层啊！！！这么大占地面积你可以养一窝金陵十二钗啊！接着记者继续跟警方来到你的农场。尼玛你居然还有农场啊！不知道占地多少公顷哟！尼玛你知道农场在中国比东厂还珍贵稀有吗！！！你知道郭芙蓉跟吕秀才的半生积蓄只够买一个牛棚吗！你到底有没有在好好生活啊！

你说你杀这么多人，到底图个啥？

人活着，不就图个生有所养，老有所依吗？你从小不用喝着三聚氰胺兑的奶长大，虽然你们那里水果蔬菜贵了点，但是至少你永远都不用知道地沟油炒菜的味道，顺便说一句其实还挺美味的，羡慕吗？

寂寞了你可以出门看看海看看峡湾，空虚了滑滑雪钓钓鱼，再不然道德低下一点花钱找人亲亲你抱抱你，找基友结婚都不犯法，你还有什么不满意的？听说你爸在法国买了房子住的挺开心，你怎么不没事儿去看看老人家，权当出国旅游啊。P.S.你知道遥远的东方平常老百姓出个国有多困难吗？

以前看电影的时候我知道欧洲有火车联票，买联票可以坐上小火车在各个欧洲国家之间穿梭，我不知道挪威有没有这个项目，不过这么美的地方，你带着老婆，出了城坐个火车，吃着火锅唱着歌，也能游得很开心嘛。

没有体验过HARD模式的人就是不知道真正艰难的生活是哪样。

我不知道你是否还有追随者或者崇拜者，如果有的话，我劝你们，赶紧各回各家各找各妈吧，你们其实幸福的像花儿一样。

中文里有一句古话叫做饱暖思yin欲。我古文不好，不知道这个yin欲是不是单纯指的性欲，我们姑且把它理解为邪念吧。其实你的行为要我说，就是五个字：吃饱了撑的。想想非洲那些不知道食物是什么的孩子，他们可没功夫想怎么报复社会。其实这事真的该怨挪威ZF，你想啊，他们把你照顾的好好的，让你不需要为生计发愁，人一空闲下来，就容易瞎想。你说说你自己是不是这样。所以还有一句话说：人类一思考，上帝就发笑！

听说你杀了这么多人不用死，我不知道是不是该祝贺你，毕竟自然老死很奢侈，好多人都等不到。

鉴于这辈子你可能走不监狱，于是我真诚的邀请你考虑下辈子来中国投胎。在这里，生下来你就是个操心玩意儿，黄山黄河让你便秘，长城长江让你尿急。成长的过程里你要和毒奶粉抗争，跟瘦肉精博弈。你要上各种兴趣班，左手奥数右手英语。运气好的话，你有可能出国，回到你上辈子呆过的地方，然后长舒一口气。运气不好的话，你要经历千军万马的高考。之后上大学，再之后要谈朋友谈工作了吧。房子车子准备好你才可以拔diao。在拔diao的那一瞬间，你有没有觉得一丝失落？或者是片刻的如释重负？

不过别担心，后面的生活更跌宕起伏。你的孩子就要出生了，你要担心他的户口智力和健康，为了不输在起跑线上你玩胎教，恨不得隔着肚子教会他十八般武艺。

再之后孩子出生了，此处省略八百字，因为你都经历过，这是一个复杂又熟悉的循环。

是不是觉得还不够刺激不够操心？

没关系，我们再说说一种东西，英文叫做surprise，中文叫做意外。

这种东西在中国跟马克思主义哲学一样，从来都供大于求。

意外让你上天入地，而且意外来去匆匆，新鲜刺激还容易遗忘。

你也许会在ATM机上突然取出一笔巨款，也许会走在路上被一辆风驰电掣的三菱跑车撞飞，会在村头的大树底下被一辆卡车碾过，也许你落魄到在街头当小贩卖水果，被一种叫做城管的警犬以破坏市容为由揍得低空掠过。也许你会被神秘BOSS怜惜，做了他的男宠，你从此有爱马仕还有玛莎拉蒂。不过也许你没有这等艳遇，只是带着妻子孩子安安分分的生活，偶尔出去旅旅游，坐个高铁。然后你知道，你带着老婆孩子，出了城坐在动车上，是不是觉得这个场景似曾相识，好像上辈子也经历过？别着急，你猜得中开头，却猜不中结局。

你们吃着火锅还唱着歌，突然，追尾了。

而且最刺激的是，你死了，但是在伤亡名单上你还活着。

说到这里，不知道你有没有一点心动。现在是北京时间23点11分，也到了我该睡觉的时候。千言万语最后汇成一句话,与君共勉：

Welcome to China.

Dear Breivik,

I am a young lady from China. A few days ago, I hear that you have killed at least 86 people. Tonight, I organized my thoughts and decided to write a letter to you while I was in the toilet. Forgive me for all my ridicules and the rough tone. But of course, I think it is unlikely that you will ever read this letter.

First of all, you are damn lucky to be born in Norway. You don’t need to pay anything for your schooling. Your government takes good care of every part of you, from head to penis. After you get married, you can get financial support for your children. When you are unemployed, you can get money and drink tea at home! Do you know that you live in an environment where you can make love without any pressure! In the Far East, so many people are envious of you! And your penis! Why don’t you treasure your life!

In the afternoon, I watched the report of the Central China Television and saw journalists gathering at your house. What a luxury place! With a few floors! You can raise a bunch of wives in such a big place! Then, the journalists followed the police to your farm. You have a farm! And how many hectares does it occupy! Do you know that in China, a farm is rarer than a factory! Do you know that Guo Furong and Lu Xiucai [note: two characters from a T.V drama] can only buy a cowshed with half of their life-time savings! Are you living your life properly!

You have killed so many people. That’s for what?

People strive for a good life and to age with grace. You don’t need to grow up with tainted milk. Although the fruits and vegetables in your country are a bit expensive, you will never know how they taste when cooked with illegal drainage oil. And they are actually quite delicious. Envy!

When you are lonely, you can go admire the Fjord. When you feel empty, you can go skiiing and fishing. Or, with a lower moral standard, pay someone to kiss and hug you; even engaging in a gay marriage is fine too. What more can you ask? I hear that your father has a house in France and he lives there quite happily. Why don’t you go see him, and treat it as an overseas trip? Do you know how difficult it is for us normal people in the East to go abroad?

I know from movies I’ve watched that there are cross-countries train tickets in Europe. I don’t know if they cover Norway. But in such a beautiful place, you can travel out of town by train together with your wife, eat good food and sing nice songs. How wonderful it would be.

Those who haven’t experienced it don’t really know what a hard mode of life entails.

I don’t know if you have admirers or followers. If you have, I advise them to go home. They are as blessed as little flowers.

There is a Chinese proverb, “If one is warm and well fed, one will think about wanton lust.” My classical Chinese is not good, and I’m not sure if “lust” here only has sexual meaning. Let us just take it as meaning evil. In my own words, you just direct your spare energy to the wrong places. Think about those African kids who have no ideas what food is. They just don’t have the energy to think about how to take revenge on the society. In fact, we have to blame this incident on the Norwegian government. Think about it: the government takes such good care of its people that they don’t need to worry about life. Silly thoughts come from idle people. There is a proverb: “man thinks, God laughs.”

I hear that you don’t need to die after killing so many people. I don’t know if I should congratulate you. After all, to die naturally is a luxury for many of us.

Because you probably won’t get out of prison for the rest of your life, I sincerely urge you consider to be a Chinese in your next life. Here, in the land of the Yellow Mountain, Yellow River, Great Wall and Yangtze River, life is complicated from the moment you are born. Right from the start, you have to struggle with tainted milk powder and poisoned meat. From an early age, you have to attend all those “interest classes”, learn English and train for Olympiad mathematics. If you are lucky, you will gain a ticket to go overseas, and return to the place you’ve been to in your earlier life. If you are less lucky, you have to compete with millions in the university entrance exam. After university, you will start thinking about friends and careers. You can only think about making love and having children after you have got a house and a car. After making love, perhaps you will feel lost, or the pressures of life relieved?

But don’t worry, life afterwards will be even more rocky. You child will arrive soon, and you have to start worrying about his intelligence and health. To enable your baby gain a head start, you just cannot wait but start to teach him while he was still in mom’s stomach.

Here I will omit 800 words, because you have experienced all those before. The familiar cycle starts again.

Do you think this is still not enough?

No worries, we can talk about yet another thing. In English, it is called surprise; in Chinese, accident.

Like Marxist philosophy, the supply of this thing far exceeds its demand.

Accidents come and go, let you fly and crash, and they are easily forgotten.

Perhaps a large sum of money will suddenly descend upon you at an ATM. Perhaps you will be crashed and thrown into the air by a speedy race car. Perhaps you will be run over by a truck below a tree in some remote villages. Perhaps you, down-and-out, sell fruits on the streets, and are beaten up by the city management officers. Perhaps you are selected by a mysterious boss to be his pet, and from then on you can enjoy luxurious brands. But perhaps, without such adventure, you just have an ordinary family. Sometimes, you may bring your wife and children out for a train trip. You know, you bring them out of town on a high-speed rail. Sounds familiar? Does that also happen in your last life? But wait, you guess the beginning correctly, but not the ending.

You eat good food and sing nice song. Suddenly, your train was hit from behind by another train.

The most exciting part is that you died, but on the list of casualty list you are still alive.

At this point, do you feel emotional? Now is Beijing time 11:11pm. I need to go to bed now. Let me distill what I’ve said into one sentence:

Welcome to China.

Some readers' comments:

这位青年罪孽太深重下辈子肯定得投胎到中国无玄念了。(2011-07-27 01:00:22)

This young guy has committed too much sin. There is no question that he will be reborn in China in the next life.

哎，所以各国人出生以后都到中国做个下放锻炼，就不会那么不知道珍惜了(2011-07-27 01:46:00)

Sigh. Let people in other countries experience the harsh life in China. They will then appreciate what they already have.

挪威的监狱都比中国人住的房子强 (2011-07-27 13:43:02)

Norwegian prisons are nicer than the housing of most Chinese people.

作者不过是在调侃中国人的生存环境，一下子就给某些很有信仰、很有精神、很有觉悟的人鄙视了。(2011-07-27 11:18:50)

The author is just ridiculing the living conditions of the Chinese. This will immediately be despised by people with belief, spirituality and consciousness.

这文章还是典型的中国人思维，吃好喝足生活稳定平安就是最大的追求。所以中国人总会对很多出身很好却投入革命运动的人很不解，因为我们没有信仰，或者说，世俗生活就是我们最大的信仰。这篇文章虽然是反讽，但是还是暴露了我们这个民族的想法。(2011-07-27 09:20:00)

This article is a typical example of Chinese thinking. Having a stable life with enough to eat is the biggest life goal. Therefore, Chinese find it difficult to understand why some people with good background will throw themselves into a revolution. This is because we have no religion, or secular life is our biggest religion. Although this article is satirical, it has nevertheless exposed the thinking of the Chinese.

谁有本事把中国治理好的赶紧去参政…没这个本事那就平时多发扬光明正义，见到不义之事有勇气有智谋去改变，不要窝在豆瓣里瞎叨叨，抱怨实在是浪费了才情。(2011-07-27 13:21:26)

Those with the ability to improve China should participate in politics. If not, spread justice, and correct wrongs when you see them. Don't just complain in this forum. It is a waste of your talent.

United Kingdom: #BlameTheMuslims Twitter Hashtag Spins Out of Context

Gilad Lotan — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:16:56 +0000

Sanum Ghafoor, who goes by the Twitter handle @Strange_Sanum, is a 19-year old Muslim student in the UK. Aggravated at how Muslims were immediately accused for any act of violence, especially following last week's Oslo attacks, Sanum let out steam by tweeting with the hashtag #blamethemuslims. With dash of satire and lots of sarcasm, Sanum posted the following tweets:

@Strange_Sanum: Here we go again… lets blame Muslims for everything that goes wrong in the world.

She continued on to post a number of tweets using the #blamethemuslims hashtag:

@Strange_Sanum: I don't have a job. #blamethemuslims

The hashtag was adopted amongst her friends and followers, reaching high levels of participation which eventually caused the term to trend locally in the UK, and later globally. As we tend to see with topics that reach such a wide array of audiences, it was wholly taken out of context, leading to a plethora of frustrated users.

Some users sent Sanum hate messages and even death threats, while others took the hashtag seriously, and posted accusations towards Muslims. Conversation spun out of control, keeping the topic trending, as more users posted their thoughts and frustrations.

On her blog, Clare Neruda describes the irony of how people misinterpreted Sanum's original motivation:

Unfortunately it seems as though rather a lot of people just aren’t getting the joke. There have been many calls for twitter to ban the TT (and a strange amount of people who consider twitter’s allowing of the trend to be particularly unfair in relation to the recent banning of #justinbieber) and a number of people have voiced fears concerning possible repercussions. However the majority of the people who have utilised the hashtag seem to have done so purely to vent their anger about the perceived racism of the trend, without researching its origins before forming an opinion. Irony upon irony; the very thing Sanum seems to have been satirising has been replayed by millions in their misguided attempts to rid the (twitter)world of an ‘evil’ that is no more than a product of misinterpretation.

And here's a quote from Nabeela Zahir's interview of Sanum:

Sanum articulated that the popularity of the trend highlighted an underlying need to discuss the way in which Muslims are portrayed, as well as the rising popularity of right wing extremism throughout Europe. The reporting around the Oslo attacks, were part of a wider trend of portraying Muslims as aggressors and religious fundamentalists
“After 9/11 there was a shift in the way Muslims were referred to in the media, and how they were reported on. It became an issue about Islam, rather than deranged individuals who justify violence with religion. It’s continued ever since.”
Sanum hopes through comedy and satire she is able to show that there is more to Muslims than terrorism, by showing that Muslims can be funny too she believes people can begin to overcome misunderstandings about Islam.

Twitter has become an indispensable tool for information dissemination. But as we talk about the need for information verification, we must remember that context, or lack thereof, is another critical attribute that can easily get lost. #blamethemuslims is an example of an information cascade that starts with good intentions, and ends up being counterproductive. That said, it did a great job at maintaining people's attention on the topic.

@Strange_Sanum: this trending topic is bigger than me. its highlighting a growing prejudice against the muslim community.

Keep posting hashtags. But whatever you do, think twice before you #blamethemuslims.

Nigeria: Nigerian Girl Victim of Oslo “Coward” Terror Acts

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:09:46 +0000

A Nigerian girl, Modupe Ellen Awoyemi, was one of the people killed by the bomb blast in Oslo, Norway: “If you want to leave a condolence message, then search for (Norway Victim – Modupe Ellen Awoyemi – Rip – 22.07.11) on facebook to express your sympathy with friends and families of Modupe.”

Armenia: Nationalist links alleged after Utøya attacks

Onnik Krikorian — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:24:26 +0000

Unzipped comments on claims that Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian responsible for the 22 July terrorist attacks in Oslo and Utøya which killed at least 76 people, had online connections with extreme nationalists and neo-Nazis in many countries including Armenia. The blog says that the local security services should investigate this possibility and hopes that the tragedy in Norway has alerted everyone to the danger of right wing extremism.

Mexico: The Knights Templar, Violence and Norway

Silvia Viñas — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:02:10 +0000

Bloggings by boz points out that the criminal organization the ‘Knights Templar' is present in Mexico and that “the killer in Norway's shocking massacre last week also considered himself a member of the Knights Templar”. He adds: “I doubt anyone thinks these two groups are linked. […] Yet, it raises the question of what makes violent ideologues and criminals search the past for inspiration? And what makes two groups so far apart find that inspiration in the Knights Templar?”

Norway: Courtroom Doors Will be Closed

Solana Larsen — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:00:57 +0000

More than 70,000 people joined a Facebook event over the weekend advocating for the first court hearing of mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik on Monday, July 25, 2011 to be held behind closed doors. Today it was confirmed [no] that no press or members of the public will attend. Breivik does not deny he caused the deaths of 93 people on Friday, but he does not admit criminal guilt.