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December 23rd, 2008
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Caribbean: 2008 in Review
From natural disasters to lightning bolts of the athletic kind, 2008 was a busy one for the Caribbean blogosphere. Here are some of the highlights…
Politics
On the heels of a year that seemed to be defined by politics, 2008 also began on a political high note, thanks to Barack Obama's amazing win in the Iowa caucus. From that point on, the majority of regional bloggers caught Obamamania and supported “their” candidate all the way to the White House. While the Caribbean was captivated by Obama's promise of change, Barbadians were orchestrating a political change of their own - some believe that outspoken political blogs may have helped turn the tide of the election by discussing key issues such as alleged corruption and the need for integrity legislation.
Further north along the archipelago, Jamaica's top politician was riling up bloggers, thanks to his “No gays in my government” comment during a BBC interview - but certainly one of the most significant political scenarios coming out of the region this year was the retirement of Cuban leader Fidel Castro after nearly 50 years at the helm of the socialist republic. Despite the change in leadership, however, most bloggers felt that it was business as usual. According to Uncommon Sense:
An unfortunate consequence of that hand-over, reinforced by Fidel's “retirement,” is that the dictatorship survives. A face, presumably Raúl's — I haven't seen the script — will be placed at the top of the flow chart, come Sunday. But the dictatorship survives.
Fidel's “retirement” is not a moment to celebrate. Unfortunately, his legacy will survive his life's work, and his life. It is a historical moment to note but nothing more.
Freedom of Speech
The issue of freedom of speech seemed to plague the region this year; both mainstream media and the blogosphere fought against attempts to silence them. Although there still appears to be some distrust between MSM and the newly active blogosphere in some Caribbean territories, it was interesting to see the two sides come together and make their voices heard. In Guyana, for instance, one blogger - MediaCritic at the Living Guyana blog - made it his business to cover the banning of a journalist by the country's President. His commitment to the cause was so fierce that it prompted GV Caribbean author Nicholas Laughlin to comment:
Living Guyana's sustained coverage of the Moseley ban story — largely ignored by other Guyanese blogs — has rivalled the coverage of Guyana's mainstream media.
Over in Barbados, bloggers were wondering if their means of online expression was in danger, while in Cuba, it appeared that certain blogs may have been blocked. Trinidad and Tobago had to contend with its Prime Minister actually paying a visit to a radio station to complain about two announcers who had made disparaging comments about him, a move that made bloggers even more vocal than usual. Barbadian bloggers also joined ranks with their mainstream media counterparts following the arrest of two journalists - a move that Barbados Free Press says was prompted by the fact that the reporters were covering the case of “a police officer…charged with dealing drugs.”
Human Rights
Closely linked with freedom of speech is the question of human rights. Some of the most memorable stories in the Caribbean blogosphere this year dealt with human rights abuses - from the arrest of Las Damas de Blanco in Havana as they staged a peaceful demonstration for the release of their husbands, to the reinstatement of the death penalty in Jamaica. Cuban bloggers were by far the most conscious of human rights issues, blogging at length about the significance of International Human Rights Day and their island's history of stifling human rights.
Puerto Rico was worried about “the government's latest deed, the application of the Real ID Act to the island's drivers”, which they thought was way too intrusive and bordered on a breach of privacy. Barbadian bloggers cried “foul” after the suspicious and untimely death of I'Akobi Tacuma Maloney, while the issue of the Rights of the Child was linked with concern about Jamaica's escalating crime rate in this post about violence against minors.
Crime & Health
The big crime story in the region this year was undoubtedly “the killing by joint army and police services of Guyana's most wanted man, Rondell ‘Fineman' Rawlins, and his ‘Lieutenant' Jermaine ‘Skinny' Charles”. Bloggers breathed a communal sign of relief that the two men met as bloody a fate as they inflicted on so many innocent people, even as an editorial in the Stabroek News warned that the killing of Rawlins doesn't mean the end of violence - but Jamaica certainly tried to curb its own rising crime rate via a March for Peace, inspired by the increasing number of violent crimes against women and children. The region's own experience with violence - not to mention the fact that several West Indian territories have substantial populations of Indian origin - made it that much easier for Caribbean to empathize with India after the horrific Mumbai terror attacks. And in another kind of war - the war on HIV/AIDS - the Caribbean joined the rest of the world in recognizing World AIDS Day and joining the discussion on everything from education to HIV/AIDS workplace policy.
Disasters
This was the Year of the Hurricane. Monster storms wreaked havoc across the Caribbean archipelago, from Grenada to the Cayman Islands. Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Omar and Paloma are not names the Caribbean is likely to forget.
Cuba and Haiti were hit particularly hard by the multiple storms, which caused loss of homes and of life - and on the heels of these tragedies, Haiti faced yet another in the form of a disastrous school collapse. In the words of Haiti Innovation:
Some emergencies can be predicted. Every hurricane season, we can anticipate that Haiti will likely be hit with tropical storms. Others such as the collapse of a school in Petionville yesterday are unexpected tragedies.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana were battling floods on a regular basis during the region's rainier-than-usual wet season.
The Economy
Perhaps the first sign of the effects of the looming global financial crisis was rising food prices and scarcity of produce. Caribbean bloggers were concerned - and finally the penny dropped with regional politicians - Trinidad and Tobgo's Prime Minister called for “belt-tightening” a few months later.
Cuban bloggers were quite vocal about the US/Cuba embargo, debating whether or not any change to the status quo would actually be felt in the Cuban economy. Guyanese bloggers, on the other hand, suggested that if their government did not sign the new European Union EPA, the local economy would be the loser.
Meanwhile, the French-speaking Caribbean was rife with protests over the skyrocketing price of gas and its effect on the pockets of the man in the street.
Sport
If there was a bright spot in the Caribbean blogosphere this year, it came in the form of regional athletes' performance in the Beijing Olympics. Jamaican Track and Field athletes dominated; the Caribbean celebrated. Usain Bolt was not only a hero - he was a phenomenon.
A few months later came another sporting moment to be proud of - the Caribbean team defeated England in the Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament, winning the match by an astounding ten wickets, becoming overnight millionaires in the process and - even for a moment - restoring some pride to beleaguered West Indies cricket fans.
Fond Farewells
Several Caribbean icons passed away this year and bloggers respectfully paid them homage…
Jamaican musicians Alton Ellis and Byron Lee and Guyanese newspaper editor David de Caires, who Nicholas Laughlin describes as “the founder and editor-in-chief of the independent Guyanese newspaper the Stabroek News, and one of the Caribbean's strongest advocates for press freedom.”
The Caribbean celebrated astounding highs and coped with debilitating lows this year - but the most convincing sign that we can deal with whatever comes our way is the fact that we continue to talk about issues and through discussion, better understand our own experiences and challenges in the context of an ever-shrinking world.
Tanzania: Fight against corruption intensifies
Tanzania's fight against corruption has taken a new turn with the arrests of former government officials, ministers and high profile individuals from early November. Last week for instance, retired Treasury permanent secretary Gray Mgonja was taken to court on allegations of abuse of office and occasioning loss of 11.7b/-. Mr Mgonja is accused of abusing his official authority by arbitrarily ignoring the recommendations made by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) not to grant tax exemption to M/S Alex Stewart (Assayers) Government Business Corporation company in 2003.
The appearance at the Kisutu court of Mra Mgonja, of the former Minister for Finance Basil Pesambili Mramba and of the former Minister for Energy and Minerals, Daniel Ndhira Yona late last month has increased the stakes in the fight against corruption in Tanzania. The former ministers were brought to court last month over the same scandal.
(Photo of one of the court appearances from Mpoki Bukuku's blog Mzee wa Sumo)
In November in another case 20 suspects including business tycoons and Central Bank senior officials were brought to court on charges of conspiracy, forgery, theft and obtaining credit under false pretence through the Bank of Tanzania (BoT)'s External Payment Arrears (EPA) account. The EPA case involves the theft of billions of shillings from the Bank of Tanzania's External Payments Arrears account.
For the best part of 2008 Tanzanians have been waiting to see how President Jakaya Kikwete handles corruption scandals dogging his government. Since the recent arrests, President Kikwete has received praises, even though some are sceptical and are calling for more heads to roll over numerous high profile corruption allegations.
On December 15th, Dr. Faustine of the blog Faustine's Baraza [Sw] gave a tip that the retired Treasury permanent secretary Gray Mgonja was about to be taken to court that morning on allegations of abuse of office. And Bongo Celebrity [Sw] confirmed later on that indeed Mr. Mgonja had appeared in court. Praising the president one reader wrote:
JK BRAVOOOOO!! Umeshaanza kuandikia historia ambayo haijawahi kuandikwa na kiongozi yeyote, si wa Tanzania, Afrika na pengine pia Ulimwengu. Tunaamini kwamba hii ni hatua muhimu sana ya kwanza ili nchi iweze kupiga maendeleo. Bila kuondoa ufisadi nchi haitaweza kupiga hatua zozote za maendeleo.
HONGERA kwa kazi kubwa. TUNAOMBA mwenyezi Mungu azidi kukupa BUSARA na UJASIRI, kwa kuwa hii vita si rahisi na lele-mama kama ambavyo watu wengine wanadhani.
NAOMBA watanzania wote wapenda maendeleo, bila kujali itikadi, tukumbuke ule umoja wetu tuliofundishwa na Mwalimu tumuunge mkono Rais katika vita hii.
MUNGU IBARIKI Tanzania
CONGRATULATIONS for the great job. WE PRAY that Almighty God continues to give you WISDOM and BRAVERY, for this is not any easy battle like many people think.
I ask all Tanzanians who like development, regardless of their political leaning, we must remember our unity taught to us by Mwalimu (Julius K Nyerere) and let us support our president in this war.
GOD BLESS Tanzania
More hopeful comments were also left in other Tanzanians blogs. In Issa Michuzzi's [Sw] post titled “Breaking neeewwwwwzzzzzz” one comment reads:
Naona mambo yanazidi kuwa mambo. Hawa akina Mgonja waliifanya wizara ya fedha na kodi zetu kuwa shamba la bibi. Ngoja vianze kuwatokea puani. Ngoja sheria ichukue mkondo wake ili liwe fundisho kwa walio kwenye madaraka na wanatumia nafasi zao kuhujumu mali ya umma. Inaweza kusaidia angalau hata kidogo maana hali ilikuwa imefikia pabaya. Mtu anaamua tu kufanya jambo lolote analojisikia ili mradi tu ni mali ya umma. Inasikitisha sana…
While congratulatory comments pour in, others still have doubts about the government's preparedness to go after all high profile figures. In the same post by Issa Michuzi a reader wrote:
hiki ni kiini macho kingine unafikiri kuna cha maana kitakachofanyika zaidi ya kupewa dhamana? halafu kesi kupigwa dana dana hadi watanzania watakaposahau. Kumetokea nini kwa mafisadi wa EPA? wote wako nje kwa dhamana wanakula kuku. vitu kama hivi vinafaidisha vyombo husika vya mahakama kupata posho na hongo kutokana na marekebisho ya masharti ya dhamana. tumeshaushutukia mchezo huu we need to do more and seen to be doing something.
Another sceptic reader at Issa Michuzi's thinks that these corruption charges are part of a political game that started during the last elections:
Nakubaliana na wewe kiasi kidogo kuwa sasa tunaelekea Mahali, Lakini kumbuka kuwa hawa wote wanaopandishwa kizimbani ni kundi la pili ambalo halikuwa upande wa muheshimiwa wakati wa uchaguzi. Hawa walikuwa upande wa Mkapa wakiwa na dhumuni la kumuweka Sumai kwenye kiti hicho. Ambao ndio inasemekana walianzisha fyoko fyoko za Richmond Ili kumuharibia Mkuu asipate tena 2010. Na yeye sasa anawarudia na mbio hizi zinamuelekea Mkapa kama ukichunguza vizuri. Kwahiyo mimi naona huu bado ni mchezo mchafu wa siasa tu.
In all the posts discussing the high profile corruption cases in Tanzania there are calls for more powerful individuals to appear in court. In another post by Issa Michuzi on the EPA case a reader wrote:
Kwa kweli wakamatwe samaki wa aina zote! Nyangumi hadi dagaa! Msituchezee picha halafu mkawaacha nyangumi wakiendelea kututimulia vumbi na ma-epa yao barabarani, na majumba ya mabilioni!…
For more photographs of the accused in court check out the blogs Dr Faustine's Baraza, Issa Michuzi and Mzee wa Sumo here and here.
A Caribbean Christmas
‘Tis the season - and nowhere celebrates Christmas quite like the Caribbean! Here's a glimpse into what bloggers are doing to get into the spirit of the festivities…
Guyanese bloggers do a meme on “Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without…” For Signifyin' Guyana, who started the meme, it's “my dad's ham” and “playing board games with my folks after we've all had a few and then some more.” Guyana 911 chimes in (sometimes cynically) with the following list:
- Christmas clean up.
Whoa.. what happened to this house. Are you moving out?- Pepper Pot.
Time, tide and Jesus birthday waits for no pepper pot. Is the earth going to stop moving if you don't make pepper pot?- Black Cake.
- A Christmas Tree.
Cut them all down, but lets not make Christmas cards out of em. No.. instead, we can make furniture. Now that's a revolutionary idea. Furniture… something anyone can actually use.- Singer commercials.
- Painting over the house and anything else paint sticks to.
- Remittances.
Raptus8 thinks that gift-giving is an inseparable part of Christmas (once the gift is for him):
Since we are speaking about gifts I would like to say to all of my friends and family that you know I have lots of love for you but this year plz don’t expect anything but a Christmas card from me.
I’m broke; yes I’m broke…what? I got a promotion the other day? Yes I did but I’m not wealthy and I want to be, so I’m saving my money. I do hope that you will understand my position and that this will not discourage you from buying that special item you saw with my name on it…
In Jamaica, Iriegal says that while Christmas time is synonymous with family, the global financial crisis is having an impact on remittances and gifts sent to Jamaica from the diaspora:
We know it's Christmas time in Jamaica when the barrels start rolling in.
Tings kinda 'salt' this year though. The economy has made many items scarce and the shipping fee has gone up as well. Seems folks sending ‘gift cards' now.
She also notes that the recession is making itself felt in other ways this Christmas:
Christmas is not Christmas without deh white dem. (Jamaican white rum). We use it for sorrel, Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding and so on. So why did the people at Wray and Nephew dem lay off their workers right before Christmas. Isn't that shooting yourself in the foot?
Cuts are going on everywhere on the island, just as it is all over the world. The recession that the United States is feeling is a Global thing. Everything trickles down. What is sad is that many of the smaller islands do feel it more. When you don't make nothing, you don't have nothing and people try to take that ‘nothing' away from you, it hurts.
Abeng News Magazine prefers to reminisce, taking a look at Christmas in “Old Jamaica” here and here.
Bermuda's The Devil Island.com knows its Christmas when Jose Feliciano sings Feliz Navidad, saying:
I swear, there is nothing that comes to mind as a more perfect, joyous, happy-making Christmas song.
Trinidadian blogger This Beach Called Life concurs, calling it “the best Christmas song ever” and even posting video of Feliciano singing his signature tune. He goes on to explain:
Jose Feliciano is an an accomplished guitarist and sings with a distinctive voice and style. Feliz Navidad has become a Cristmas classic and is now impossible to separate from the Christmas season. Feliz Navidad is one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world.
However, fellow Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Coffeewallah is finding it hard to get into the spirit of the season:
I constantly hear people talking about their ‘Christian' beliefs. It never ceases to amaze me that a lot of these so-called Christian folk are the same ones who bitch the loudest when asked to contribute to a can drive or anything. The same people who will come around and ask you again and again for their children's raffle or whatever, when asked, their response usually is, I gave to something two months ago. I must remember that one for future use. Grinch behaviour coming alive here.
But the staples of a Trinbagonian Christmas somehow manage to bring her around:
The pointsettias were abloom, their spiky red leaves cheerily brightening the usually sombre space. Though the skies were rainy, inside we were snug, with our ponche de creme to warm us, some Christmas music to sing along with…and all was good.
Speaking of Christmas staples, Simply Trini Cooking salutes that time-honoured West Indian Christmas dessert, Black Cake, and includes a recipe should anyone want to try making it.
Barbados Underground posts a reminder about the reason for the season and expresses concern about the commercialization of the holiday:
Christmas 2008 will be celebrated in gloomy economic conditions but Barbadians appear to be following the script of behaviour from previous years…which sees the majority of our population motivated by commercial reasons to celebrate Christmas.
BU's apprehension is echoed by Dominica Weekly, which considers the true meaning of Christmas and goes one step further by asking what God would think of modern-day celebrations.
Christmas celebrations in the French-speaking Caribbean, on the other hand, appear to be steeped in tradition. With December 25th quickly approaching, the French Overseas Departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane are vibrating to the tune of their folk musical instruments like ka (a big drum)[Fr], ti-bwa (two bamboo sticks)[Fr] and of Christmas Carols. Welcome to the world of “Chanté Nwel” (Singing for Christmas)!
In the blog Sous le Soleil de Guadeloupe [Fr], Pat and Jac describe the paradoxical situation of the island, gripped with the Spirit of Christmas and raging through the gas crisis [En].
Still, there is one thing at the core of the Guadeloupean traditional celebration of Christmas and it is “Chanté Nwel”. Creole [En]for “Singing for Christmas” or “Singing Christmas (carols)”, it is the very shrine of Christmas in these French territories. “Chanté Nwel” used to be an opportunity for entire families to go around their neighborhood to visit neighbors and sing Christmas carols with them to the tune of the “ka” and the “ti-bwa”. At that time, it was in a safe atmosphere that people would go around their remote villages very late at night.
Although Chanté Nwel cannot be done in the same way as before, people still feel the need to sing Christmas carols together and in a very local way. You haven't celebrated Christmas, if you haven't been to a “Chanté Nwel”! It is such a vivid tradition that even the West Indian diaspora abroad wants to celebrate. On his blog Risbomontréal [Fr], a young Guadeloupean university student describes his joy at receiving an invitation for a “Chanté Nwel”:
Quelle bonne nouvelle que j'ai eu ce matin en ouvrant mon p'tit mac :D ! La news lettre de ces types super cool de Tropikal97 où ils invitent à participer à une super soirée diner/Chanté Noël + Boite de nuit à l'antillaise et tout ^^ !!!
It seems that the Chanté Nwel fever is spreading wherever French West Indians can be spotted: check out this invitation for a Chanté Nwel in Cergy, in the suburbs of Paris, published on the blog Carrefour du Soleil [Fr], by a group of West Indians. Or listen to Cactus, a Guadeloupean folk group that promotes Chanté Nwel in a blog called Cactus Chanté Nwel [Fr]. There is even a video of Cactus performing some Christmas carols, sung in Creole.
Can't manage a trip to the Caribbean this Christmas? Not to worry - the West Indian warmth transcends distance thanks to the voices of bloggers who share their stories of Christmas in Cuba, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico. Some posts are more optimistic than others, but the sentiment of the season is palpable: Hope.
In the words of Bahamian blogger Womanish Words:
Suddenly, a choir. Singing Deck the Halls. Outside the dark living room window. And sistas, I mean, singing so beautifully.
I would have loved any carolers, the raw-boned, hollering kind I would have gratefully welcomed in these hard times. Any group of folks generous of spirit so, creative and cooperative and connected so, having spirit enough to gather themselves together and go sing-up Christmas for strangers, I have to love them. Especially now, when money is tight, and fundamentalism is dividing the neighbourhoods with hatred, and all are on guard against violent crime. We opened the door, lit a torch, gave a donation. They were all wearing Santa hats. They sounded like a choir out of Dickens. Perfect harmonies, soaring tenors. Our son asked, “Are they singing for us?” Yes, they were singing for us.
I thought it was a cosmic moment, a sign and a wonder, a message from the World of Spirit. Saying quite literally, go ahead and deck the halls, try Be Happy, celebrate, give. Do this to actively resist the fear, to transform it into something like good living.
All images in this post courtesy janinephoto; used with permission.
Rising Voices Seeks Micro-grant Proposals for Citizen Media Outreach
Application Deadline: January 18, 2009
Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project proposals for microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own.
As the internet becomes more accessible to more people, including mobile phone users, the so-called digital divide seems to be narrowing. In its place, however, we see a participation gap in which the vast majority of blogs, podcasts, and online video are being produced in middle-class neighborhoods in major cities around the world.
Rising Voices aims to help bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the conversational web, by providing resources and funding to local groups reaching out to underrepresented communities in the developing world. Please visit our current list of grantees for project examples.
The sky is the limit, but unfortunately funding is not. Rising Voices outreach grants will range from $2,000 to $5,000. Please be as thoughtful, specific, and realistic as possible when drafting your budgets.
Successful projects will be prominently featured on Global Voices. Grantees are expected to host regular workshops to train participants how to start and maintain a weblog, upload and share digital photographs, and produce basic videos. Grantees are also required to post regular project evaluations and updates to the Rising Voices website.
Completed applications will be accepted no later than Sunday, January 18. Please submit your completed application on the Rising Voices apply page.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below or by sending an email to outreach@globalvoicesonline.org.
Madagascar: Television station is forced to stop broadcasting
VIVA, one of Madagascar's national television stations, has been ordered by the Minister of Telecommunications to stop broadcasting:
“Suite à la diffusion par la chaîne de télévision Viva d’un enregistrement contenant des propos de l’ancien chef de l’Etat Didier Ratsiraka réfugié en France dans son journal du samedi 13 janvier 2008 vers 20 heures, lesquels propos étant susceptibles de troubler l’ordre et la sécurité publics, la chaîne de télévision Viva est interdite de diffusion.”
The mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina is the 30-something owner of VIVA, as well as of other highly successful firms, such as Injet, a communications firm, and Domapub, a highly successful advertising agency, headed by his wife, Mialy Razakandisa, a member of a prominent family.
Rajoelina, known locally as Andry TGV, was elected Mayor of Antananarivo with 63% of the vote in 2007, winning the elections against President Marc Ravalomana's protege, Hery Rafalimanana. Andry TGV, whose resume uncannily resembles the President's - no college or formal education, but a keen entrepreunerial spirit that has resulted in successful business ventures, difficult relations with the government, a run for mayor - has been at odds with the President and the government ever since his victory.
Last week, the tensions between the mayor and the president were high when VIVA, the mayor's television station, broadcast musings and ramblings by Didier Ratsiraka, the former president of Madagascar, after showing the former presidential picture of Ratsiraka for several minutes, a move criticized by some. Ratsiraka was ousted in 2002, after controversial election results in which both he and Ravalomanana, then the Antananarivo mayor, claimed victory. After a long street protest, blockades by citzens, and the endorsement of Ravalomanana by Western powers, with the noted exception of the then French President, Jacques Chirac, Ratsiraka was forced to take refuge in France. The controversial video shows Ratsiraka harshly criticizing Ravalomanana and is available in Malagasy on dailymotion.com.
Mialisenfout thinks the government must be joking and quotes a minister, Bruno Andriantavison, who once said:
“Les libertés d’opinion et d’expression n’ont jamais été interdites du moment qu’elles respectent les règles du jeu”
Tomavana comments :
“Sky FM [Toamasina], Feon’i Toamasina [Toamasina], Karajia [émission quotidienne de la Radio Don Bosco, Antananarivo] … maintenant VIVA TV … à qui le tour ?”
In the same spirit of jest, Jentilisa
titles :”Ary raha… Viva TV dia avy eo Injet sy domaPub ?”
He then ironically lists all the actions that TGV will take to mobilize the citizens in the capital, Antananarivo, wondering if they will guard him, as they guarded Ravalomanana's home against foreign mercenaries hired by Ratsiraka in 2002.
“Entanin'ingahy amin'izay ny vahoakan'Antananarivo hiambina ny takelaby fanaovana ny dokambarotr'ingahy betsaka sady mbola mahabetsaka ireny ihany. Tena mahavita izany mihitsy ny mponina'Antananarivo tahaka ny niambenana ny teny Faravohitra ka! aza manahy mihitsy ingahy. Ary aza matahotra fa tsy maintsy ho lasa filoham-pirenena ingahy ka! Fa aleo aloha izaho hitondra ka! Mbola tsy ampy taona hitondra ingahy tsinona!”
There have also been lively discussions about Ratsiraka on serasera.org, an online forum, although nobody seems to miss the Ratsiraka era :
“Ny alika no miverina @'ny efa naloany sy ny forongony… Zahay koa efa LEOn'ny nilaha-bary teny @'ny fokontany sy ny Magasin M, ny nilahatra ankisisika bus FIBATA manginy fotsiny, ny kitapo zara raha mahita kitapo tsihy hovidiana, ny cahier kitra kotsan'ny orana… Zany rehetra izany tamin'ny andron-dRatsiraka (1980-1989). Mora manadino ny gasy a!!!!… Amin'izao fotoana mba mahita beurre TIKO hovidiana ihany…”
Ironically, during the same week, the government organized a meeting with all Malagasy political parties, opponents included. The agenda of the December 17 meeting was to permit the free exchange of ideas among political players, and resulted in a proposal to change the laws regulating political parties. According to the website of the President, the modifications aim to reinforce political parties and permit them to participate more effectively in the development of Madagascar. The government had commissioned a report on how to reform the regulations regarding the financing and merging of political parties, which in Madagascar currently number in the hundreds. It is noteworthy that this report was produced by two former opponents: Serge Radert and Serge Zafimahova, both ministers during the presidency of Zafy Albert. Zafy Albert is now a rabid Ravalomanana opponent. During the meeting, about 400 million ariary (US$ 218773.53) were distributed among the fifty attending party leaders. About thirty political parties declined to attend.
Serge Radert and Serge Zafimahova later issued a press release on their motivations to write the report and their caveats. They seem not to agree on the use of their report during the December 17 political meeting and already appeared to distance themselves from the results of the meeting. The press release emphasizes:
“nous avons évoqué notre attachement à la liberté d’expression et au libre débat et nous avons évoqué, en particulier, notre ferme condamnation à toute forme de censure et à toute fermeture de médias audiovisuels et de presse écrite, en particulier au niveau de l’actualité, nous avons jugé inopportun la fermeture de la télévision VIVA.”
The tensions are now at the highest, Andry TGV said there were orders arrest him for “fa namory olona mpanao politika tsy nahazoana alalana tetsy @ La Rotonde ingahy ben'ny tanana,” “rallying political people without authorization at the hotel La Rotonde.” The government later firmly denied this and Zombia wondered if Andry TGV was intentionally spreading false rumors.
“Hosamborina i TGV eh
Ohatry ny feo nampatsiahy ahy ilay hoe :”Voapoizina i Hasina eh” na ilay hoe “hosamborina i Zafy eh”
Resaka hanentanam-po ny olona fotsiny, fa ny ol vao mijery hoe iza avy no mpanohitra dia aleo indray miverina mody manidy trano. Fa miandry fotoana ny zavatra rehetra
Iza no mahita raha sarinady anakonana ny fanomezana ny tany 1.000.000 ha ho an'ny Daewoo, sy ny 250.000 ha ho an'ny Indianina fotsiny io”
The arm wrestling continues. During interviews broadcast by no less than three radio stations, Andry TGV then issued an ultimatum, expiring on January 13, for the defense of “freedom of speech and democracy” against the government. But Jentilisa comments :
“paika entina hampakarana ny maripana izany zandry mba hivononan'ny olona hitokona amin'ny voalohan'ny taona a! jereo ange fa saiky nifanitsy tamin'ilay nosoratako tamin'ny lahatsoratro halina hoe ho avy amin'ny fiambenana indray izany ny mponin'Antananarivo eee!”
If everybody feels like News2Dago and Jentilisa, the alleged tactics may not be enough to drag the demonstration-weary population of Antananarivo into the streets:
“Izaho kosa hitazan-davitra ihany fa tsy misy hidirako ny @ izay satria tsy misy hanome ahy ariary na ny andaniny na ny ankilany ny ahy any am-paosiko aza no manaraka @ fandoavaka 6% @ impôt synthetique ho an'Ingahy ben'ny tanana ary ny hetra TVA homena an'i ra8 hozaraina @ ireo mpisolelaka mpanao pôlitika omena 400 tapitrisa ariary be izao (vola be hono no nozaraina teny Mavoloha teny t@ 17 izany adalan'ireo izay tsy te hankeny).”
Press Under Attack in Nepal
Even after the restoration of democracy in Nepal, the country’s press has so far been unable to function without threat and intimidation. Violent attacks against journalists, publishers are becoming a common occurrence.
On December 21st, activists belonging to the ruling Maoist party attacked the office of Himal Media, the publisher of Himal and Wave Magazine, Nepali Times and Himal South Asian magazine.
United We Blog describes the incident:
“The Maoist cadres vandalized the Himal Media office at Hattiban in Lalitpur and attacked the staffers including the publisher and Nepali Times editor Kunda Dixit, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ashutosh Tiwari, Executive Editor Kiran Nepal and senior correspondent Dambar Krishna Shrestha among others.”
The brazen act has drawn sharp criticism from all major political parties, international free press organizations and the United Nations. Surprisingly, the leadership of Maoist party is silent on the attack.
The latest Maoist attack against Himal Media is yet another addition to the long history of the party’s agitation against Nepal’s free press. Kashish at Samudaya.org, who has been associated with Himal Media since 2000, writes about the history of violence:
“A search of ‘Nepal' on the website IFJ.org (International Federation of Journalists) or a search on Google with the keywords ‘journalist killed by Maoist' reveals the brutal history of aggression against the media by the Maoists in Nepal. It is deeply troubling that the same party currently heads Nepal's government. It reminds me of Russian journalists who in recent years have ‘mysteriously' died. In Nepal, however, it's hardly been a mystery; Maoists have either taken credit or been found responsible for these attacks and murders”.
The reason for violence against Himal Media is widely suspected to be a report published in Nepali language fortnightly magazine Himal, about the activities of Maoist affiliated trade unions.
ChangeinKU has a different take on the incident and the reason behind it:
“Himal Media claims that the Maoists attacked them because of their Feature report in (the) vernacular weekly “Himal.” At the same time, it is an open secret that the Himal Media is terminating jobs also. So, a neutral Nepali, who do not have to earn livelihood by writing in Newspapers, find it very difficult to ascertain who is right and who is wrong. It is quite possible that the Management itself might have carried out this kind of attack to hurry closure of the office to give permanency to the job termination.”
No matter what the reason behind the attack is, it raises serious questions about the Nepalese government’s commitment towards press freedom. In last November the South Asian Journalists Association based in New York raised the same question and included a report from Reporters without Borders on the threats against Nepalese press:
“Acts of violence and intimidation against journalists are still very frequent in the provinces. Journalists are particularly threatened in the southern Terai region, where armed groups hold sway and there are hardly any police.”
The photo blog at MyRepublica has a collection of pictures taken by Bijay Rai after the attack showing injured journalists and damaged office premises.
Links for Tue, 2008-12
Communication, Culture, Democracy & Development in Nigeria announces that the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE) is organizing a conference to take place at the University of Ghana from the 4th to the 8th of August 2009 under the theme “Communication education and practice in Africa: a social contract for the 21st Century”.
Kavita Chhibber, a freelance journalist, shares at Desicritics some of her interviews with notable international personalities on the Mumbai Terror attacks.
Bdfact shares the key findings of a study titled ‘Election under a Caretaker Government’ based on past elections in Bangladesh.
The Bajan Dream Project reports that “a further BDS $100,000 is missing” from the Central Bank of Barbados' vaults.
Bikerdude at Bengalooru Banter shares with us some of the entertaining voices and accents that can be heard in Bangalore.
MSF (Doctors without borders) has released its annual list of Top 10 Humanitarian Crises of 2008 and the DR Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Ethiopia's Somali region made the cut. Several bloggers have commented on the list, including The Road to the Horizon who noted that there was “no under-reporting this year” and Ethan Zuckerman who observed how disconnection affects public health.
Once again, fibreoptic cables have been cut in the Mediterranean, affecting the internet in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. Elijah Zarwan at The Skeptic asks, “What accident could account for three cuts in three locations over the course of a year?”
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