Archive for
November 29th, 2006
Stories
On Blogging Conflict Regions
Ethan Zuckerman, one of the founders of Global Voices, once said in an interview that to care about a far away place that gets little media attention requires empathy. Empathy for a place can come through from having close friends who grew there, or by traveling there yourself. Sometimes, it can just from sharp, informed writing that transports you to another place.
Sometimes, these places are overlooked by the main stream media and by the blogging community for the same reasons. These places are incredibly difficult to cover, not only because of the logistical lack of power and bandwidth, but also because it is difficult to effectively translate such experiences to an average reader whose daily experience is, in many ways, incomparable.
Gulu Town is such a place. Gulu is the portal to a greater northern Uganda that has suffered as much as any region in the world. It is a vast and diverse suffering. For the last twenty years, over one million people throughout the north have lived in miserable Internally Displaced Person's (IDP) camps, fearing the occasional Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) attacks and the daily government hostility. Warriors in the deeply troubled northeastern Karamoja region fight one another for cattle using AK-47's and fear occasional government air bombing. In the 1930's, the West Nile Virus was discovered in the region, and in the 1970's, it experienced an Ebola epidemic.
Ukraine: Famine Recognized As Genocide
Kyiv, Nov. 25: Remembering Holodomor (Famine) Victims - by Veronica Khokhlova
At the Holodomor Remembrance ceremony held in Kyiv on Saturday, Nov. 25, a big board listed the countries that have recognized the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33 as genocide: Australia, Argentina, Georgia, Estonia, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, Poland, USA, Hungary. Next to the list was a question: “[What about] Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada [the parliament]???”
It didn't take long for the Rada to follow suit: on Tuesday, 233 out of 450 PMs voted in favor of the bill (UKR) recognizing the Soviet-era man-made famine, which took millions of lives, as genocide against the Ukrainian people. Not a single Communist PM took part in the vote, and only two members of prime minister Victor Yanukovych's parliamentary faction (186 seats) supported the bill.
As hundreds of other Ukrainians, LJ user eagle_x came to Kyiv's Mykhailivska Square on Saturday to light a candle in honor of the Holodomor's dead. He posted photos from the mournful ceremony - here and here - and discussed the subject of Holodomor with two LJ users from Russia.
Pana-Blogs Report
#1: From Chiriqui Chatter: El Desfile de los Bomberos en David , a very colorful report on a traditional firemen parade that takes place in most large cities in Panama to commemorate the independence festivities of the country. In this case Don shares a collection of photos and even a video which will make you feel you were there.
Besides being the Independence from Spain Holiday, it is also the day that recognizes the firemen of David. This could be true all over Panama, but I do not know that. I heard yesterday that there was going to be the annual Parade of the Firemen in the evening. Since I had never seen it, I decided to head down to the center of town. Read the complete post!
#2: Antonio Checa shares with the world his thought about "Om Prakash, proof that there still hope"
Om is a 14 year old boy from India who has just been awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize for leading a campaign against child labour and child slavery. Om’s story is a sad one but one where there is hope and inspiration for others.
At an early age he was taken away from his parents and for 3 years worked in the fields and was regularly beaten and never paid. Continue reading…
#3: Rob Rivera "meditates" about "Panamanians and Thanksgiving"
The Blogoma retaliates while Blaise LLorca calms the angry e-crowd
Moroccan bloggers under fire!
The Moroccan blogosphere (Blogoma) is very angry. Why? Well a Moroccan blogger qualified the Moroccan blogging as being still in the “teen aging period”(Fr). Mohamed Lachyab, a Moroccan journalist who's decorating his blog with …his own pictures, gave an interview(Ar) to the Moroccan newspaper Almasae, and expressed his opinion about the Moroccan blogging.
The reactions were interesting and most of the time disapproving of whatever Lachyab had to say.
It turned out that the journalist meant “some”(Ar) Moroccan blogs. He also used “some” excerpts from Hjiouj's blog(Ar) without mentioning his source(Fr)!
“It’s an insult to the Moroccan bloggers”(Fr), writes Farid referring not only to Lachyab's interview but also to a column written by another journalist who stated in the Moroccan Arabophone newspaper Al Ittihad Alichtiraqui(Ar) that The Moroccan blogs are mostly futile(ar).
The interesting part in this entire “Imbroglio” is that it shows how fast the Moroccan bloggers react and how active is the Moroccan blogosphere.
(more…)
Voices from Zimbabwe
With the rainy season now underway in Zimbabwe, most of the nation's time and attention is given to pontificating and prognosticating what the agricultural prospects have in store for us. Like many other agro-based economies, the measure of a good (or bad year) is based on the nation's agricultural production. Just on cue, Zimbabwe's scandal prone government is neck deep in a sensational scandal involving the importation of flawed fertilizer from South Africa.
Apparently, Gideon Gono the central bank governor initiated the order, but has of late, shifted blame for order on agriculture ministry officials. Simon Pazvakavambwa, the secretary in the agriculture ministry, facing the axe over the scandal is now threatening to spill the beans on the scandal if he's let go of. The bearded man comments on this latest wrinkle:
Here we have one of ZANU PF's own playing the party at their own game. Now to that, you have to be prepared to reap the consequences (forgive the pun). In years gone by, when members of Mugabe's government got overly cocky and started running off at the mouth, they were ‘tragically' killed in road accidents or found floating in swimming pools (there was another one found this last week!).
Links for Wed, 2006-11
Alext at Golublog:An Anthropology blog points to an article that talks about growing involvement of China and Chinese businesses in Pacific Islands.
neweurasia interviews Merkhat Sharipzhan, the director of RFE/RL's Kazakh service about his work and media in Kazakhstan.
The Budget Files reports on the joys of buying condoms in Baku.
Tolkun Umaraliev reports that there will be a rally against the death penalty tomorrow in Bishkek.
Beau Gordinier posts video of police shooting tear gas at protesters during this month's protests in Bishkek against the Kyrgyz government.
Onnik Krikorian discusses the latest news that a deal on a peace deal over Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan is close, commenting that he does not expect such a deal to come before parliamentary elections next year in Armenia or presidential elections in both countries the following year.
Robert Sagna, a former minister in the Senegalese government and Mayor of Zinguinchor, Senegal reflects (Fr) on the upcoming presidential elections: “The whole electoral process is corrupt and managed according to the interests of the Senegalese Democtaric Party (PDS) in power.” He then explains that he is still pondering whether he will run.
Wal-mart's entry in India along with other big retail plans elicits quite a few reactions from those who feel it might threaten the traditional kirana stores (cornershops). The Indian Economy Blog on why that's not likely. “A vast majority of middle class India still shops from one of the millions of tiny kirana stores for precisely these reasons. And there is no way Walmart or even the local big retailers like Foodworld, Big Bazaar or Reliance can lure away a chunk of the middle class big enough to make the kirana store go out of business for at least another few decades.”
What would the reaction be if British-owned newspaper reviewed an Arabic restaurant, and used the term “Arab trash” to describe local diners? Find out from Secret Dubai.
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