Global Voices Online

Stories

Mexico: Teachers Protest in Oaxaca

David Sasaki · 18:14 · Americas

While much of the country remains focused on the daily football happenings across the Atlantic, a small insurrection of protesting teachers and their sympathizers has taken to the streets of Oaxaca demanding for higher pay and the resignation of state governor, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

Those protests turned violent last Wednesday prompting black and white photoblogger Juan Calavera to take to the streets and document the forced eviction of teachers and their supporters that had been occupying Oaxaca's main plaza.

La primera noticia que tuve fue por teléfono, me llamó la directora de la escuela. “La policía está desalojando a los maestros, hay helicópteros disparando y lanzando gases lacrimógenos, ya avisamos a los alumnos que hoy no va a haber clases, no salgas de tu casa, la cosa está muy fea…”

The first news I got was by telephone. The director of the school called me. “The police are evicting the teachers, there are helicopters launching tear-gas, we need to warn the students that there won't be classes today. Don't leave your house, this thing is really ugly …”

He then describes the tension in the air as he approached the plaza where helicopters were flying overhead. The eviction of the protesters began around 5 a.m., according to Calavera, but three hours later, the police were still firing tear-gas.

Las versiones corrían cada vez más insistentemente: dos maestras y un niño habían muerto en la intentona represiva. Otro compañero había perdido un ojo a causa de los golpes policiales (más tarde los maestros lo reportaban muerto). Una mujer embarazada sufrió un aborto. Oficialmente aún no se reconocen las bajas. Algunos maestros en autos y motonetas distribuían coca-cola y agua para menguar los efectos del gas que, incluso horas después de haber sido lanzado, producía efectos sobre ojos y vías respiratorias. Otros llegaban con comida. Otros más intentaban reorganizarse. “Busquen a su sección… Vamos al zócalo, ya lo recuperamos”

The rumors were each time more insistent: two teachers and a child had died in the repressive attempt. Another colleague lost an eye caused by police beatings (later the teachers reported him dead). A pregnant women suffered a miscarriage. Officially, the deceased have not been acknowledged. Some teachers in cars distributed coca-cola and water to decrease the effects [of the tear-gas] around the eyes and respiratory pathways. Others arrived with food. Still others tried to reorganize. “Find your section … let's go to the plaza, we're going to retake it.”

(more…)

12 comments · read »

World Cup Cultural Treasures from the Lusosphere

Jose Murilo · 15:06 · Angola , Brazil

All three Lusophone countries, Angola, Brazil and Portugal, are still in the contest for the World Cup. As anyone could guess, there is little chance of finding any relevant blogging outside of the World Cup theme in the always diverse Portuguese speaking blogosphere. As the Lusophone citizen media makes its debut covering of the most watched sports event in the world, many kinds of diversity are present in its multifaceted football chronicle.

In fact, blogs can go deeper than would have been thought, mixing in their alchemy a variable blend of national passion, cultural traits and spirited words. The Lusosphere conversations are not only discussing winners and losers but also offering some glimpses of national cultural traits. Pearls arrive even amongst disdain for football's omnipresence in this season.

A woman from Portugal says,

“If everybody knows that blog posts are supposed to be a kind of augmenting / distorting / diminishing mirror of daily life, and if I can't hear about anything else, how to escape this state of trying not to write a post about football? Even when you don't want to talk about football, you talk about it in explaining why you don't want to hear about football. I surrender. So, instantly, it feels nice to say that Ronaldinho has an incredible hairdo. And that Cristiano Ronaldo makes crying faces. I think making pouting lips doesn't raise his virility capital, but it doesn't diminish it either. A good rise in his virility capital would be a goal followed by a strip. The yellow penalty card would be inconsequential. I think I haven't started yet to write about football. João Ricardo is cool and Figo already had a better hair-do. Iran's players have good looks. Maybe Portugal wins the Cup. Maybe to use ‘maybe' in this case makes me shamefully unpatriotic. An alternative title for this post is, ‘how to use the word football so many times without writing a line about football'.”
The Non-Post - The estrogen diaries - Portugal

In Brazil, men are so often asked by women to explain the rules that it has become sort of symbolic:

yep. but I still can't see the point of this off-side rule.
The world cup is ours!!! - Lapse - Brazil

(more…)

2 comments · read »

Echoes from the Tunisian blogosphere

Mohamed Marwen Meddah · 10:31 · Middle East & North Africa

The most talked about topic in the Tunisian blogosphere this past week is obviously the Tunisian team's dissapointing performance at the World Cup in Germany after their draw with Saudi Arabia.

Some feedback in French from: Tunisian star, Adib, Anis, Nawarat, Assouma.

On a more serious note, Tarek writes about how Tunisia is aiming to largely cut down unemployment from now to 2016, and he throws in a number of suggestions like going further down the internationalization and privatisation path as well as reforming the university system and work laws. (FR)

As for Swifty, he asks what a country is? and what it is that creates an attachment between a person and a country, enough to make it part of his identity. Is it birth in a certain country, life in it at a certain stage of life or the people surrounding the person? (FR)

Felsfa writes about the morning greeting in Tunisian “Sbah El Khir”, which he explains as much more than just a simple “good morning”, it means may your morning be good in each and every way: moral, material, internal, external, news-wise, business-wise, …etc.
He goes on to state how people no longer bother to greet each other like that anymore in Tunisia these days, and how he thinks Tunisia is changing to the worse, starting from its mornings. (FR)
(more…)

0 comments · read »

Ukraine: “The Cars” With Ukrainian Voiceover; Local TV

Veronica Khokhlova · 08:42 · Eastern & Central Europe

LJ user didaio of Dnipropetrovsk writes about two recent viewing experiences: one good, another bad. The good one was The Cars with the long-awaited voiceover in Ukraine's national language - instead of (or in addition to) Russian; the bad one was the Ukrainian TV programming that all those who can't afford a satellite dish are doomed to watch. Below are the posts' translation from Ukrainian.

June 16, 2006:

Gradually, Ukrainian movie theaters are beginning to show the first Hollywood film with the Ukrainian-language voiceover. Looks like the process of presenting the animation with the voiceover already done is more complicated than the process of doing the voiceover itself. There's also a Russian-language version of the cartoon. And in Dnipropetrovsk, there are a lot more Russian-language screenings than those in Ukrainian. As of today, the Ukrainian-language version is shown in just one theater, and even there, out of 6 screenings of The Cars, only two are in Ukrainian. Moreover, the cartoon has come out late. On June 15, it was shown in just two theaters, today it has appeared in one more multiplex (four viewing halls, all screenings are in Russian), and on June 17, it'll appear in two more multiplexes (the total of 5 screens, but nothing is known about the language).

Despite these problems, I highly recommend the Ukrainian-language version to everyone. Not to support the Ukrainian language, but for your enjoyment. The quality of the Ukrainian translation is a lot better than that of the Russian one. And the sound of the Ukrainian-language copy is excellent, too! And though the cartoon itself isn't anything special (it lacks dynamics) and it hasn't got much space for actors, the Ukrainian actors (Ostap Stupka, Olha Sumska) have done a great job! Funny jokes, allusions to the Ukrainian realities, and simply the feeling of something familiar - all this is present in the Ukrainian-language version of The Cars.

June 17, 2006:

[…]

For the third day in a row, I'm forced to watch national TV, mainly. Because when I came back from the Spain v Ukraine game (4:0) and turned on the satellite tuner, I saw an eloquent “No Signal” (white on the red background). It wasn't raining anymore, […] so there could only be two reasons: someone [stole] the dish or it [went down] by itself. I'm scared to climb onto the roof, and the satellite TV representative promised to visit me “after the days off.” This is why, for the third day in a row, I'm forced to watch national TV, mainly, and this “happiness” will last longer than one more day.

(more…)

2 comments · read »

Musique Africaine

Obi · 04:32 · Sub-Saharan Africa

The Global football festival that is the World Cup. The best so far I've witnessed with a genuine feelgood atmosphere and a lot of goals. With Ghana the strongest African contender left in the competition my interest is still deep and I wish them luck. When an African team play you always hear the drums reverberate throughout the stadium. Fascinating mix of cultures and goes a long way to enhance global harmony and understanding. Better luck next time to Ivory Coast and Togo who are out of the competition. Welcome to my African music roundup. Joga bonita.

Yesterday dj earball of Sound Roots posted an mp3, “Take Out the Fences”, from Togolese singer/musician Yawo to inspire the Togolese football team, Les Eperviers (Sparrow Hawks).

“Up With People” veteran Yawo started his music career in his native Togo, studying flute, electric bass, and classical guitar. The title of this album might refer to his musical influences as much as the world harmony he so clearly desires. Yawo's feel-good Afropop music straddles the walls between African, pop, jazz, and reggae. Singing in a mix of English and African languages, he calls for freedom, justice, and more bodies on the dance floor.”

“Take Out the Fences” is from the album of the same name and is on general release.

Wen, a guest blogger on the excellent music blog Benn loxo du tacu, drops a post on Ghanaian Hip Life:

“Ghanaian Hip Life is a hybrid of Afro-American hip-hop and West African highlife. It is characterised by rapping over a 4/4 beat, however it differs from most traditional hip-hop with its melodic lead vocals. The rap is mostly in the local languages Twi, Fanti, Ga and Ewe, but also in the lingua franca of the Muslim minority, Hausa. The official language in Ghana is English, though due to migrant relations with the neighbouring countries French is also used. In these songs we hear a more pidginised form of English which contains old expressions from colonial times that are still used today.”

The post highlights the Hip Life group VIP and provides mp3s to the songs “Ahomka Wo Mu”, “Ni Ne Naki” and “Adoley”. Enjoy.

(more…)

0 comments · read »

Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday in Detention

Preetam Rai · 02:33 · East Asia

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNG SAN SUU KYI
Originally uploaded by Ennor.

As Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi spends yet another birthday in detention, online users are marking her birthday. Dr. Tyza at Burma Digest says

We are celebrating you birthday all over the world. We, the citizens of the world. We, free citizens of the free world. We who love you. And we who want to use our liberty to promote yours and your people’s. We are celebrating your 61st birthday, Aunty Suu.

Although we are celebrating your birthday, we cannot be really happy because we know that you may not even know that we are doing it for you, as you are kept under total incommunicado detention without any contact to the outside world.

The Blogger at Noblesse Oblige urges us to remember Aung San Suu Kyi's sacrifice

For the most remarkable part of this sad tale is that Suu Kyi refuses to leave her prison until Burma is free again. The junta would be happy to have her gone, and has offered her personal freedom if she will go into exile, but like Joan of Arc, Suu Kyi knows that there are things bigger than herself; things like freedom and democracy.

In time the junta hopes people will forget about Aung San Suu Kyi, and forget about freedom and democracy. That is a thing that will never happen. So think of Suu Kyi on her birthday, and wish her well.

In a related news, P2P foundation has reposted an announcement talking about the launch of Mizimma.tv

“Mizzima.tv, a gateway to footage, documentaries and hard news programmes on Burma-related issues. Our top story today is “Salute to The Lady” in honour of Burma’s democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who spends her 61st birthday today under house arrest in Rangoon.