Global Voices Online

Stories

Palestine: The siege of Gaza was broken - and then?

Ayesha Saldanha · 22:26, September 5th, 2008 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → fr

On August 23, two boats carrying international activists broke the siege of Gaza by landing in Gaza's harbour. The boats have since left again, leaving some of the activists behind, and taking some Palestinians with them back to Cyprus. However the activists plan to return to Gaza on September 22 - amongst other things, delivering mail to the Palestinians. In this post, we look at some Gazan reactions to the breaking of the siege, as well as accounts by the activists.

Heba is not sure what the future holds, but is happy the boats came at all:

The freedom ships made it to Gaza. It is a small victory that counts so much. So much solidarity, love, and hope were shipped directly to our hearts by the arrival of the peace groups to Gaza shores. […] So much courage, commitment and belief were displayed in this journey coming all the way from Cyprus to besieged Gaza. Has the siege ended? Surely it has not, though hope is always there. However, just the gesture – of thinking about Gaza people and of actually moving from passive sympathy to proactively deciding to take this journey to tell Gaza people that they are not alone, their voice is heard , their story is known, and they deserve unlimited support – is worthy of great respect.

The international activists have been trying to support the Palestinians in whichever way they can. Dr Mona El-Farra gives an example:

The success of the Free Gaza Movement gave us some hope for the future, it was a small act, but great and courageous too; a few determined, strong activists did the miracle. In an unprecedented voyage, the first boats to arrive from international waters to Gaza shores in 41 years. A lot of work can be done to make the change, to ring the bell, to wake up the deaf, silent and blind international community governments. What is happening in Gaza under the siege and the occupation is not only a human rights violation, it is a war crime.

I was with the Free Gaza Movement and the re-constituted Gaza International Solidarity Movement at Erez crossing last Sunday (the northern border between Gaza and Israel) to make pressure and let one of the patients out for treatment. We succeeded in the end but the hard question is, why should it take all these extravagant efforts to let one patient in great need for emergency surgery out of Gaza????????????

Some activists also accompanied Gazan fishermen out to sea, as the International Solidarity Movement reports:

On the 1st September 2008, the first day of Ramadan, several volunteers with the Free Gaza Movement and the International Solidarity Movement accompanied a small fleet of seven fishing vessels from Gaza City port. … The fishing fleet reached approximately nine miles offshore and began trawling along the Gazan coast, well within international limits. Usually the Israeli Navy prevents Gazan fishing vessels from accessing beyond six miles and in many cases only three miles, by attacking the boats, sometimes lethally, or by arresting the fishermen. However, this day’s fishing resulted in a highly successful catch due to the ability to access richer fishing grounds further offshore.

However, Israeli Naval gunboats fired warning shots at the boats:

One activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, gave an account of what happened:

When at a distance, estimated by our fishing boat’s captain, of seven nautical miles from the coast, we dropped our fishing nets and started fishing, the Israeli warships rushed to reach our position. One of the warships positioned at a distance less than 200 metres alongside of our fishing boat, opened fire in our direction at least four times during the day. It was intimidating fire directed into the water, but some bursts almost touched the hull of our boat. A cannon shot almost reached us. Making attempt of obtaining a radio contact was useless. Soldiers on the Israeli warship ordered, with the use of megaphones, the area evacuation. And after that they were shooting. Sometimes they were shooting before having been ordered.

Vittorio Arrigoni's blog in Italian can be seen here.

The Free Gaza boats plan to return later this month:

On September 22nd the Free Gaza Movement will return to Gaza to demonstrate that the sea lanes between Gaza and the rest of the world have been permanently opened, and we're going to take the mail with us! Currently, all mail sent to Palestinians from abroad must first be delivered to Israel. Mail is regularly blocked by Israel and prevented from being delivered to the people of Gaza. We believe that the mail must go through, so we're going to take it in ourselves.

1 comment · read »

Haiti, Bahamas: Hurricane Hanna

Janine Mendes-Franco · 21:42, September 5th, 2008 · Americas

lingua → fr · es

Raging flood waters from Hurricane Hanna - Photo courtesy haitianchildrenshome.org; used with permission. Visit their flickr photostream.

Haiti didn't need another tropical storm, far less another hurricane. But the Atlantic hurricane season can be a cruel taskmaster; storms strike the Third World as evenhandedly as they do the First World, but for developing nations, the recovery process seems to be that much slower and more challenging.

As Hanna descended upon the island, she brought with her more rains, more flooding and more death.

Friends for Heath said that “as with most things in Haiti”, they were at the mercy of the forces of nature:

We’ve had another 24 hours of high winds and drenching rains as Haiti felt the effects of nearby tropical storm Hannah. The rain started around midnight Monday night and when we got up yesterday morning, our flat roof had several inches of water on it, the storage depot was flooded and there were several tree branches down in the yard. It rained on and off all day, with intermittent heavy winds, but we did not suffer any further damage. We talked with friends in Port-au-Prince, who said that several areas there were flooded again. The worst hit area was Gonaives and St. Marc, with extensive flooding leaving thousands homeless.

Konbit Pou Ayiti agreed that “sometimes it can be hard to believe that Mother Nature is not cruel”, posting photos to drive the point home:

Haiti is the country in this region that is least able to weather a storm of any size. Even just a hard rain can result in death and destruction. Over the last week, two major storms hit Haiti. Hurricane Gustav was a Category Two hurricane when it made ground in Jacmel, bringing ninety mile per hour winds and pounding rain to the area. At the beginning of this week, Hurricane Hanna took a second swipe at the island, leaving the towns of Gonaives and Les Cayes underwater.

The remnants of a house post-Hurricane Hanna - Photo courtesy haitianchildrenshome.org; used with permission.

Several bloggers, disheartened at the daunting prospect of facing even more loss and damage than they did with Gustav, turned to prayer. RHFH Rescue Center was matter-of-fact about it:

Haiti cannot take a category 3 hurricane. We cannot. Please pray!

The Haiti Lady hoped her prayers would help the thousands of families adversely affected by the storm, noting that “Haiti's death toll from Hanna doubles to 137″ and “some 250,000 people are affected around the country's fourth-largest city.”

Prayerforce.Org got in on the prayer blogging action right around the time Hanna was hitting the Bahamas:

She has killed over 90 people in Haiti due to floods and mudslides, in addition to the 75 Haitians killed by Hurricane Gustav.

Haiti, an impoverished nation of 9 million souls, was already on the edge of starvation before these two storms. Most Haitians live on less than $2 a day and the meteoric rise in the price of oil, along with manipulation of global markets by hedge funds, had already caused food shortages.

Uprooted Tree - Photo courtesy haitianchildrenshome.org; used with permission.

Haiti Reborn posted links to several mainstream media stories about the damage, saying:

Tens of thousands of Haitians are trapped in the flooded city of Gonaives in a gruesome replay of what happened in Hurricane Jeanne in 2004.

The blog, along with Dying in Haiti, also published emails from people who gave first-hand accounts of the damage:

In Gros Morne we hardly got a drop from Gustav but it wouldn't let Hanna move on after Hanna slammed us hard. It's worse than Hurricane Jeanne here.

Much property and garden lost. Five houses in town were washed into Riviere Mancelle.

We don't have many reports because roads are out and phone don't work in a number of places. Gonaives is dreadful because of Hanna, and Ike and Josephine are on their way.

North-west of Haiti, in the Bahamas, Nicolette Bethel was taking a wait-and-see approach:

I’m sitting here, a tropical storm watch active for the area, while three storms line up and take aim on us.

Of them, the one that worries me the most is Ike — a decent Cat Four hurricane currently heading straight for Nassau.

Today, she posted this update:

Hanna has passed without incident, as expected. Ike has weakened and has shifted a little so that the eye is no longer heading for New Providence but further south. We don’t know what will happen, but there it is.

We’re keeping our eyes on the storm.

Keeping their eyes on the storm is really all the Caribbean can do until this year's hurricane season is over.

7 comments · read »

Puerto Rico: Daddy Yankee Endorses John McCain

Michael Castro · 19:08 · Americas

lingua → fr · es · zht · zhs

Puerto Rico is in the spotlight due to a recent endorsement by recording artist Daddy Yankee. Even though he is not as well known on the island, than in other parts of Latin America, U.S. presidential candidate capitalized on his fame for campaign purposes at an event in an Arizona high school. Bloggers comment on the fact that Daddy Yankee is a low profile rapper in the island and his example is not one to be emulated. So what is McCain after? Votes obviously, and as far as votes go the Puerto Rican and the Latino communities in the US.

In the words of blogger Edwqin Vazquez of Cargas y Desgargas [es]:

El reggaetonero Raymond Ayala, mejor conocido como Daddy Yankee, hizo el supremo ridículo: endosó a John McCain para presidente en una escuela de Arizona, aún cuando el pobre no tiene derecho a votar en las elecciones presidenciales.

The reggaeton singer Raymond Ayala better known as “Daddy Yankee” was part of something ridiculous: he endorsed John McCain for president in a high school in Arizona even tough the poor guy doesn't have a right to vote in the presidential elections.

According to blogger Elco Lao, he is not sure how much McCain even knows who Daddy Yankee is [es]:

aunque el candidato a presidente por el partido republicano dice que Dadi es uno de sus mejores amigos, antes de que entrara a escena tuvo que leer de una tarjeta alguna información que le hiciera recordar quién carajos era este muchacho… Por lo menos, las muchachitas de la escuela que visitó Maquein supieron anticipadamente de quién se trataba ya que mencionó la palabra “GASOLINA”.

…although the presidential candidate said that Daddy was one of his best friends, before Daddy Yankee entered the stage, McCain had to read from a card with information to remind him who the hell was this guy. At least the girls in the school recognized him when McCain mentioned the title of one of his hits “GASOLINA”…

During the activity the Star Spangled Banner was played but Daddy Yankee didn't knew the lyrics to that tune so he had to bit his lips during the anthem performance. After the ceremony the rapper sang one of his most famous hits “Gasolina” (gasoline). the song is about a girl who likes to ride in cars and in the song is constantly repeating “dame más gasolina” (give me more gasoline). The lyrics of the song contrast with McCain's energy policies and his purported plans to encourage the production of alternative energy and his plan to reward the inventor who rescues the US from its dependency on foreign oil with $300,000,000.

The news did not cause an uproar here in the island since Puerto Ricans can't vote, so none of the local media payed much attention to it. Bloggers from the U.S. consider it an act of political significance since McCain chose to address the Puerto Ricans, and other Latinos living in the states by standing by the side of a well-known recording artist.

Thumbnail photo by Rascolmkp

13 comments · read »

Saudi Arabia: Finding strength and empowerment in religion

Ayesha Saldanha · 17:20 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → pt · fr · bn

While it is often argued that religion is used to oppress women, there are many women who gain a sense of empowerment from their faith. In this post, we hear from one Saudi blogger who thinks she knows why many married women turn to religion, while another describes the inspiration she gained from a colleague.

Aysha Alkusayer, who blogs at In the Making, has a theory as to why some Saudi women become more religious after marriage. She starts by describing the nature of many relationships she sees:

My friend “Y” is married. Her husband likes her to completely cover in Riyadh: “abaya”, veil and face cover, and half cover in Dhahran [less conservative city in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province]. To uncover her face in the company of friend “A” and “B” but never around “C”. When travelling he wants her to completely uncover, except if there were relatives. He asks her to dress conservatively (e.g. long skirt) in the presence of her family in law, yet wears pants or non-conservative clothing in the presence of the families of friends “A”, “B” and “C”. He doesn’t want her to have any makeup on when outside the house, but to be fully made up once she’s in. […] He has every teeny bit of her life figured out for her. My friend’s marital life is not unique to many women in Saudi, and I do not mean the issue of covering or uncovering, I mean the issue of being micromanaged. … Such minute management isn’t denounced by the collective mind but is often expected and thought to be an indicator of responsible parenting—yes, parenting even to the wife. […] Some wives adapt to this husband-wife relationship…yet when the honey melts away many women begin to feel equal or competitive with their husbands and sensitized towards being bossed around.

Aysha then describes the kind of change that occurs:

Since arriving in Riyadh I’ve been noticing a pattern amongst certain type of women who suddenly turned religious, some of which immediately transformed from being just another guest in someone’s house to women who sit at the head of a meeting to preach the word of God and tell the stories of the Prophet and his companions; women who construct Qur’an recital centers. Nothing shocking or sudden happened to those women, they didn’t lose a loved one in an accident or undergo any trauma. What happened, then, that might’ve caused this massive change in behavior and character?

Many things could of course contribute to this change, but I believe the gains of a transformation often explain the initial calling that has caused it. Women whose religiousness brought power, leadership and stardom after being semi-absented, were probably yearning for what they have been lacking. […] And having God at their side, could finally allow those women a word over their husband, children and the greater society. […] They could silence much of society which would not yield and adhere to them before.

Another Saudi blogger, Eman K, who blogs at The Saudi Swan, describes a lesson she learnt from a colleague:

She caught my attention from the very beginning. The way she prayed left me mesmerized. While we would finish our prayers hurriedly as if we had something so urgent to do, she would take her time praying dedicatedly. And while we killed the time chatting away aimlessly, she would take out her Qur'an and start reading, oblivious to the noises surrounding her. She had negative opinions regarding men, as most of us, but her views were to the extreme sometimes. She would tell us not to listen to love songs as they promote unrealistic love among the young. “Don’t you ever believe this crap. This love doesn’t exist.” “Romance has disappeared from my life,” she would add sometimes laughingly, especially when she heard us talking about marriage.

Eman finds out that the woman is divorced - and is inspired by her way of coping:

She won her divorce after a long battle and after she had suffered severely from an ungrateful husband. That was a tough time for her especially that it coincided with her mom’s death. She lost a lot during that battle. But something remained exceptionally strong in her. It was her spirit. […] She made use of the free time she had at hand then and started studying diligently to get her PhD, which she earned two years after her divorce. But more important was her relationship with God which underwent a great transformation. And instead of complaining non-stop to people like many other women, she would confide her sorrows and disappointments to God. … After a while, I noticed some change in her. She seemed to me happier than usual. That was when I knew that she was getting married again. But this time to a man much better than her ex-husband. … Moreover, he holds a prestigious position there in the West. […] On her last day in our college we threw a big party for her. She was so happy that day as if she had buried behind her all that was painful in her life and was taking her first step into a totally new world. […] It’s true that she left Saudi Arabia for ever but she left behind a great lesson. A lesson of patience, resorting to God and making the best of what we have.

2 comments · read »

Guyana: Akon Again

Janine Mendes-Franco · 15:34 · Americas

lingua → mk · fr · zht · zhs · es

UPDATE: Akon's publicity firm has released an extended video of the incident which they believe proves his innocence.

Akon has done it again - created controversy in the Caribbean. This time, Guyana is his territory of choice. At a concert in Guyana's National Stadium that was part of the regional Carifesta celebrations, the hip-hop singer was crowd surfing his way across the sea of fans as he tried to reach a camera platform in the middle of the audience. A few celebrity-struck supporters got there before he did and there seems to have been a skirmish as Akon tried to mount the platform. Once he alighted onto the stand, he slapped one of the women hard enough to appear to send her reeling.

Video footage of the incident is all over the Internet and Guyanese bloggers are interpreting this latest Akon outburst as a demonstration of the singer's misogyny. Living Guyana questions why the country's mainstream media failed to mention the incident in their coverage of the concert:

In all the local reports about this concert why did (they)…not report that Akon physically assaulted two females in full view of thousands of Guyanese?

Akon has a reputation of assaulting people in various forms. He dry humped with a fifteen year old young lady in Trinidad and threw a boy off the stage in the US. This guy is clearly a lunatic and needs to be locked up (sounds familiar?) to protect him from continuing his assault on innocent people.

He is even more outraged when he finds out how much Akon was paid for his performance, calling it “a US$160,000 slap in the face of Guyanese women”:

This Akon incident is another example of the kind of eye pass Guyanese have come to suffer and in fact happily tolerate. Imagine 20,000 people were there and not one had raised this moment of abuse of a Guyanese woman. Any man with any principles would have defended this woman.

This is a travesty. We call on Minister Rohee to condemn Akon and to bar him from ever entering Guyana again. Whoever this lady is she needs to get a good lawyer and sue this idiot.

Interestingly enough, Guyana911 places the blame squarely at the feet of the ladies:

Earlier when those clowns tried to get on stage…they were pushed off. You don't interrupt a concert or a national event like that. When that happens sometimes physical effort is needed to straighten out stuff.

If those two jokers want to crawl on the platform, whats Akon to do? Stand and hold the mic and just watch them? Or is he supposed to perform and ignore them while they show off their shit.

He should of punched their ass off. Teach them some self control.. Everybody knows Akon rightfully hates a woman that shows her ass off.

I'm not seeing how what Akon did was wrong.

Either way, Signifyin' Guyana thinks there are bigger issues at stake:

One of the really bothersome negatives I encountered during Carifesta was something bigger than its lack of focus (I'm still scratching my head about the relevance of some of the events, for instance), but Akon presence aside, my biggest problem with it all was the lack of inclusion of younger voices on discussions about the condition of the Caribbean region.

5 comments · read »

Kazakhstan: Fears of aggravation of crisis

Adil Nurmakov · 10:24 · Central Asia & Caucasus

lingua → es · fr · zht · zhs

Although Kazakhstan, enjoying booming economy fueled by extractive industries, remains the leading state among Central Asian republics, the volatile situation in the country's economy gives grounds for anxiety among bloggers. (more…)

0 comments · read »