Archive for
February 17th, 2009
Stories
MENA: Is the BBC Impartial in its Refusal to Air the Gaza Appeal?
Long respected as a beacon of free speech, bloggers across the Arab world and beyond have been left questioning BBC's integrity after its refusal to air an appeal for the victims of the latest Israeli war on Gaza.
The row started after the BBC refused to air this video by the UK-based Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella group of humanitarian charities including Oxfam, Save the Children and the Red Cross, saying that broadcasting it would jeopardise their neutrality.
Independent broadcaster Sky News also refused to carry the appeal, while publicly owned Channel 4 and private channels ITV and Channel 5 did - promoting demonstrators to take to the street and bloggers to their keyboards in protest against the decision.
Writing at American-Palestinian KABOBfest, Jillian notes:
Fundamentally, the problem here is the BBC's impression that their desire is to remain “neutral.” By implying that they must ignore the humanitarian crisis and the victims in Gaza in order to err on the side of neutrality in fact implies that not offending Israel is more important than helping the over 5,000 injured, and countless who have lost homes or livelihood thanks to Israel's massacre.
News from Syria says the BBC has run DEC appeals in the the past, even during politically charged situations. He notes:
The BBC has shown every DEC appeal in the past. And it has shown them in highly political humanitarian disasters, like Yugoslavia.
But by banning it, the BBC is doing something more than hurting the appeal for cash. It is politicising the neutral work of the DEC - which includes organisations like the Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children.
In Gaza, around 30 demonstrators who picketed outside the BBC offices, made a similar claim. According to the International Solidarity Movement:
Protestors rejected the claim made by the BBC that airing the appeal would compromise the impartiality of the agency – citing numerous examples of DEC appeals for emergency assistance in conflict-zones that have been aired by the station without question. Speakers accused the BBC of maintaining racist double-standards when it comes to issues regarding Palestine.
Still in Gaza, Moments in Gaza posts details about the Gaza protest and notes:
So … people are homeless, hungry and in hospitals all around Gaza. Asking for humanitarian help for them is…”biased” ? So much for bloody objectivity! What shame.
Moroccan blogger Hisham, who maintains the Mirror, lashes out at the BBC saying:
From the beginning of the murderous aggression on Gaza, the BBC has been, as usual brilliant in sanitizing in the name of “impartiality” the horrors visited upon defenceless civilians in Gaza. Talking about a “retaliatory offensive” when it was clear that it was a pre-planned attack and a deliberate slaughter of civilans; evoquing “conflict” as if the forces on the ground were in any shape or form comparable; Accepting Israel’s dictat which blocked independent access to the crime scene for international journalists without registering any significant protest; offering spaces for Israeli spokepersons, which is legitimate by the way, but without convincingly challenging the PR work.
From Israel, Goy uses the row as an opportunity to discuss the ‘objectivity' of media. He writes:
The BBC uses the word ‘objective' to describe its news coverage a lot of the time. Objective, when it comes to journalism, is preposterous. It suggests that the reporters do not have, and are incapable of having, any opinion on the matters which they report on, but merely present the facts as they are.
Even if this were possible - and I'm not going to bother spelling out the subjectivity that comes from the personal interpretation - the thing is that the BBC editorialises all the time, providing commentary and opinion dressed up as fact. You watch a news bulletin - any one - and tell me if I'm wrong.
Another Israeli blogger, The Elder of Ziyon describes BBC's decision not to air the appeal as “strange” and adds:
Anyone who ever watches how the BBC covers Israel cannot but laugh at this absurd logic. Israelis and Zionists have no problem with the millions of dollars being spent to help Gazans; only with the millions being given to Hamas, directly or indirectly. Israel itself spends incredible amounts of time, effort and money to help Gazans. Israel has never protested aid going to Gazans from WHO, the Red Cross or any other charity group.
In a weird way, the BBC in making this decision seems to have betrayed its own genteel anti-semitism. While no Jewish or Zionist group asked the BBC not to air the appeal, the Beeb assumed that the selfish, powerful Jews would be upset at giving money to Gazans. Rather than deal with those imaginary protests the BBC thought that they should throw the Elders a bone, deny the appeal and use it as “proof” of their objectivity.
Meanwhile, several groups have sprung at Facebook condemning the move, including Complain to the BBC in Large Numbers and I Condemn BBC for its pro Israeli Broadcast of WAR ON GAZA, among others.
Colombia: The Awá Indigenous Community Caught in the Middle
While most Colombians were following the release of 6 hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) during the first week of February in the Tortugaña Telembí indigenous reservation, which is located in a jungle area between Barbacoas and Samaniego (Nariño department, southwestern Colombia), several members of the Awá indigenous group went missing. According to the indigenous reports, the FARC and ELN guerrillas were fighting against the Colombian Army in this region, with the Awá people caught in the middle.
Photo of displaced Awá people in Nariño department taken by G. Valdivieso of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and used with permission.
On February 9, indigenous organizations and Nariño governor Antonio Navarro, a former M-19 guerrilla fighter himself, denounced the murder of 17 Awá people. Over the course of the next few days, the killing of another 10 people, who were fleeing the first attacks, were reported leaving the death toll at 27, with dozens more abducted. At time of publication, no corpses have been found [es], even after the army was sent to the remote area where the massacre is said to have occurred, in order to find the bodies. The FARC have been blamed for the massacre by the indigenous themselves and, of course, the authorities. Many believe that the FARC suspected the Awá tribes were acting as Army informants. President Álvaro Uribe announced [es] he will be visiting the area next weekend.
Adam Isacson of Plan Colombia and Beyond expresses his contempt for the killings:
We condemn the FARC guerrillas, in the strongest terms, for massacring as many as eighteen members of the Awá indigenous community in a remote zone in the department of Nariño, in southwestern Colombia. If the group’s leadership had sought to generate goodwill with last week’s unilateral hostage releases, reports of the Nariño killings has undone that entire effort.
At Colombia Reports, Dutch correspondent Wies Ubags is also outraged:
I don't understand this latest cruelty of the FARC. They are trying to enter into new negotiations to exchange the policemen and soldiers in the jungle for guerrillas in prison. The members of civil society who are doing the effort with them - Colombians for Peace - are risking a lot, although they already reached the liberation of six hostages. (…) In this delicate situation the FARC commit a horrendous crime in the Awá community, that lives in one of the most violent regions of the country, and that has already lost a lot of lives, also because of the huge amount of landmines in the area. Are the Awá no people, People's Army of the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia? It is a cruel and stupid crime.
Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos claimed the indigenous peoples were not “collaborating” with the authorities. Commenting on the Digg-like Gacetilla [es] social news website, Gonzalo writes:
Precisamente por colaborar fue que los mataron. Porque eso sí para pedir información siempre están, pero para ofrecer seguridad…
Precisely, they (the Awá) were killed for cooperating. Because they (the authorities) are always there when it comes to asking for information, but when it comes to providing safety…
In a long text, the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) also denounces the Defense Minister's attitude [es]:
Ahora resulta que es culpa de las víctimas de esta masacre, del desplazamiento masivo, de las personas desaparecidas, de las comunidades confinadas en medio del terror lo que les está sucediendo. Culpa de ellas, dice el Ministro, porque no han querido colaborar con la Fuerza Pública. Pretende convencernos de que, si la Fuerza Pública hubiera estado en la zona, estos hechos no se habrían presentado. En consecuencia, llega la hora de militarizar el territorio por completo, con el argumento de proteger a los Awá. Los propios indígenas angustiados y corriendo por las selvas y algunos de sus líderes, no ven más opción que la de pedir ayuda a la fuerza pública. Los medios de comunicación y los voceros del Gobierno y de la coalición de partidos que lo respaldan, le hacen eco a este llamado. Colombianos y colombianas aterrados ante el horror de este genocidio en curso, reclaman lo mismo.
Now it turns out that it is the victims' fault about what it is happening to them, they are to be blamed for this massacre, for the massive displacement, for the disappeared people, for the communities trapped in the middle of the terror. Their fault, the Minister says, because they have not been willing to cooperate with the State security forces. He's trying to convince us that, if the [police and the army forces] had been in the area, this would not had happened. Therefore, it's time to militarize the territory completely, on the grounds that it is for protecting the Awá people. The distressed indigenous themselves, running through the jungles, with some of their leaders, see no other choice than to ask the security forces for help. Mass media and the government and ruling coalition spokespeople echo this call. Colombians are terrified before the horror of this ongoing genocide and are demanding the same thing.
The ACIN text goes on trying to explain why the Awá people are being killed. Besides claiming the Colombian security forces “have been and are a terror factor,” all sides in the Colombian armed conflict exert violence against the Awá along with greed and economic reasons (namely, agricultural, mining, and tourism projects) are helping to fuel the violence against these peoples.
Last October, a series of indigenous demonstrations and marches throughout the country were held, amidst a huge media blackout, with at least one of their websites temporarily blocked [es]. The blackout seems to be happening again. No le creemos a RCN [es] writes:
[H]oy en día alguien le está haciendo el juego a las FARC; pues mientras ellos atacan a las comunidades indígenas Tangarial y Awá, alguien presiona a los encargados de los medios de comunicación de la ACIN, robándoles un computador desde donde actualizaban su página, y amenazando al encargado de actualizarla. Lo grave es que el mismo gobierno, la Sip y los demás medios de comunicación son cómplices (como mínimo), pues los primeros no adelantan ninguna investigación al respecto, y los restantes no se dan por enterados (excepto “Semana”).
Right now, someone is helping FARC, because, as they attack Tangarial and Awá indigenous communities, someone is pressuring the people in charge of the ACIN media, by stealing the computer used to update their website, and threatening the webmaster. The serious thing is that the government, the IAPA, and the other mass media are accomplices (at least), because the former does not start any investigation on the issue, and the latter is not aware of what is happening (except Semana magazine)
At the time of the indigenous protests, President Uribe, already facing strikes by the judiciary branch and sugar-cane cutters, and another top government officials stated the demonstrations were “infiltrated”[es] by the guerrillas, despite evidence to the contrary. Now, the government has not made a single mention nor rectified their old accusations against the indigenous peoples. So far, it has only announced [es] the nomination of an army official who will act as a liaison between the authorities and the Awá people.
Blogging Gives Kenyan Poetry Larger Meaning And Exposure
Njeri Wangari is a Kenyan poet and blogger based in Nairobi, Kenya. I recently interviewed her at Nairobi Java House in downtown Nairobi and later continued the interview via email. In this interview, Njeri discusses how she has been using her blog, Kenya Poet, to promote artists and art scene in Kenya. Through her blog, she says, she has given Kenyan poetry a larger meaning and exposure.
Question: When did you start blogging?
I started in 2006.
Q: Why did you decide to blog?
I had been writing poetry for sometime and had not found a publishing house to publish my work. This was frustrating because I wanted to share my thoughts on various issues of concern with people. I cannot remember how I came to know about blogging, maybe it was through Google. But once I found this amazing tool I started to experiment immediately. Initially, I was not sure what to write or what to put there. The first item was about people who inspired me. I wrote about Maya Angelou [the African American writer and poet] then later I realised that a blog is a tool to share your personal interests. I am interested in art, literature, African, jazz and Neo Soul music and poetry. I started doing features on my blog about writers and poets in Kenya and elsewhere. My first feature was on Okot p'Bitek [the Ugandan poet and writer].
I realized later that I needed to update my blog more often and it was not easy to do that with my full time job. I asked myself why not do reviews of art events that I frequent? So I started art reviews. The reviews drew more traffic to my blog as some would have photos accompanying them. At that time there were no online resources offering information about arts in Kenya. One had to check the weekend newspaper, which only featured major events . I later on decided to post information about upcoming events and also tried to find more information about the artists going to perform and with time, this drew more traffic to my blog than even my poetry as I could not post a piece everyday as I could with other art information. There is, however, an interesting aspect, after my poetry performances I would get enquiries on where my poetry can be found and I simply refer them to my blog. You will therefore find those who visit my blog specifically for news and information on art and music and those who visit just for my poetry.
Q: What is the difference between the reviews that you do and the ones on weekend newspapers?
Newspaper reviews are too formal and most journalists have no or very little knowledge of the subject matter especially when it comes to non mainstream art events like poetry performances and underground hip hop and emerging forms of music. I realized that a lot of reviews that were appearing on mainstream media was mostly criticism of poetry and the quickly growing art scene that is seeing a lot of first time poets coming out to perform. In addition to this, journalists tend to look at poetry in the lenses of written poetry and have no understanding of spoken word and poetry performance. WAPI [Word And Pictures] has received criticism from mainstream media while it gives a space to many upcoming artists and has contributed a lot to the growth of hip hop and other forms of art not just in Kenya but it is now in more than 5 African countries. I also noted that mainstream media reviews lacked the personal style of review that is more detailed, descriptive and does not have to be a certain number of characters.
Q: As a poet what do you think is the role of art blogs?
The role of art blogs is to give a space to creative writers to express themselves, be heard globally and get feedback as well as critique and support. Blogs help to create greater understanding of various forms of art and appreciation.
Q: What value have you added to Kenyan poetry as a blogger?
I have given poetry a larger meaning and exposure. Events such as the ones that take place in various spots e.g Rhythm and Spoken at Dass Restaurant, utenzi at the Wasanii Restaurant and others would never be known were it not for the information that I give on the blog. Poetry lovers would probably not know very promising Kenyan poets like Tim Mwaura, Obaladan, Number 8, Neema Mawiyo and many other great poets. I have inspired many upcoming poets to not only share their work on stage but also to start blogs. The weekly newsletter that I send to subscribers about art events and artists has also helped maintain a fanbase of dedicated followers of art and poetry. I am currently hosting some upcoming poets temporarily as I help them start their own blogs. Their poetry can be found on my blog with brief biographies about them and their contacts.
Q: Do you have poets who come to you to ask about blogging?
Many! Poets complain about not getting published. I tell them why wait for publishers while you can do it on your own? You don't need highly technical skills to start a blog, what you need is to know what you want to do with your blog. There is Neema, for example, who is also a poet and actor and blogger. She blogs at Ngwatilo. I urged and inspired her to start a blog, something she was finding too involving. Bildad Mathenge and Connie Mutua are currently working towards starting their own blogs as I temporarily host their poetry on my blog.
Q: Since poetry is both written and spoken, do you have poets in Kenya podcasting their work?
You can listen to some Kenyan poets on MySpace. I recently registered a MySpace page. Imani is poet who is using MySpace where you can listen to her poetry. Grand Master Masese who is also a poet and a performing artist is also utilizing myspace
Q: What about video?
There are a few videos on YouTube that have been taken during various poetry performances. But nothing substantive so far.
Q: So you would say that blogging has measurable benefits to the local art scene in Kenya?
Yes. It has has made a huge impact. Blogging constantly about poetry has made more people aware of Kenyan poets. It has given exposure to upcoming artists who would rarely get coverage in the mainstream media. Through our blogs, people realise there are many entertainment options and more people get to know more about the Kenya poetry movement. Posting upcoming events and doing a review of the same has also helped quite a lot in disseminating information to art and poetry enthusiasts. It has also helped market upcoming artists who have not yet made their names in the art industry.
Q: What are you views on blogging in general in Kenya?
Blogging here is still in the phase where most people think you have to be in the IT industry (read geek) to blog. A friend of mine, Daudi Were who blogs at Mental Acrobatics made a comment at our recent meeting regarding the upcoming African Bloggers Conference, and I quote him “blogging is the most ‘ungeeky' thing one can do on the net”. I am in the organizing committee for the conference dubbed Kelele ‘09 that aims at bringing African bloggers together for the first time in Kenya later this year.
Q: What about the content on Kenyan blogs?
Well, most of it is about politics, which is sad.
Q: Why sad?
People have allowed politics to be the only topic worthy discussing and blogging about despite the fact that there are many other issues affecting Kenyans every day, which need to be part of public debate. It is not like other things in society are not happening. There is more to life than politics. Again, blogs are about one expressing him/herself freely and I refuse to believe that we can only express ourselves politically.
Q: What other topics would you like to see in the blogosphere?
There are many as everyone is unique and so are their ideas. What I tell people is to write about things you have a passion for. I have a cousin who attended a recent barcamp event held in Nairobi. He is a medicine student in his final year with an interest in IT. He realized that he can write about medicine because there are many issues related to medicine that would be of help to ordinary people. Reading his blog is more refreshing as there are things maybe we are afraid to ask doctors. I'd like to read a blog of a struggling drug/alcohol addict, the memoirs of lawyers, the struggles of a lesbian in Kenya, etc.
Q: What are you best Kenyan blogs?
Bankelele: Simply because i don't like financial news written for financial analysts! I want financial news for ordinary people. I want to know what economic meltdown means. Bankelele breaks things down.
White African: I like IT stuff. He writes stuff that you will not find in newspapers.
Sports Kenya: I am not very much into sports but he writes very well, he puts sports into historical perspectives and gives behind the scene sort of stories to sports news making headlines
Gukira: I like his command of the English language.
Thinker's Room: I think he has been busy lately.
Q: What are your long term plans?
I want to elevate my blog, Kenyan Poet, to a unique online brand that represents all forms of art on Kenya.
Kenya: Urgent Translocation of the Lelwel Hartebeest
At the close of 2008, squatters who had been evicted from the Mount Kenya and Aberdare forests about two decades ago in Kenya were allocated plots a section, Sector D, of the expansive Solio Ranch in Laikipia. The 15,500 acres Sector D is, however, home to 480 Lelwel hartebeest ; 600 plains zebra; 210 impala; 1,020 Thomson’s gazelle; 36 oryx; and 41 eland.
Elodie Sampéré, writing in the new Lewa Wildlife Conservancy blog at WildlifeDirect, emphasizes on the importance of the Solio population of the Lelwel Hartebeest saying,
There are only about 1,000 Lelwel hartebeest left in Kenya. They are only found in two places: (1) Ruma National Park, where only a few dozen animals remain. and (2) a population of approximately 1,000 individuals in Laikipia District. This Laikipia population has been shown to be genetically diverse. About 75% of this population is found on Solio Ranch.
The Lelwel heartbeeste is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of 2008 as the global population has declined from 285,000 in the 1980s to less than 70,000 today.
As the human settlers start to move into Sector D, the threat of poaching and bushmeat hunting will increase exponentially. That is why the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Kenya Wildlife Service have been translocating these rare antelopes out of Solio's Sector D. The first wave of squatters has arrived and the translocation has now become an urgent matter.
To date, they have already moved 245 hartebeest; 140 plains zebra and 25 impalas. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy has now launched an appeal to help raise some funds to translocate the rest of the wildlife. You can follow respond to this appeal in their new blog.
China: “Stay away!” Vice president Xi warned in Mexico
Xi Jinping (习近平）, the Chinese vice president, is widely predicted as the next chairman of China, the successor of Hu Jintao. On Feb 11, during his visit to Mexico, he gave a speech to overseas Chinese there. His address includes a passage as a harsh criticism against foreign intervention, which is unusual in Chinese diplomacy.
“有些吃饱了没事干的外国人，对我们的事情指手画脚。中国一不输出革命，二不输出饥饿和贫困，三不去折腾你们，还有什么好说的.”
“There are some foreigners who had eaten their fill and had nothing better to do, pointing their fingers at our affairs. China does not, first, export revolution; second, export poverty and hunger; or third, cause unnecessary trouble for you. What else is there to say?” (Translated by China Digital Times )
His strong showdown against foreign intervention sparked notable support on the internet. A great many netizens stand with Xi, claiming it can't be more inspiring to hear so strong a voice from a Chinese leader.
Netizens on major portal websites exclaimed for Xi's tough response to foreign intervention,
On Xinhua net, the Chinese official media, a blog post named “so cool！Xi Jinping slashed overly stuffed, idle foreigners!” appeared and attracts numerous responses. The blogger first shows his surprise on Xi's bluntly spoken manner:
对于少数外国人对于中国的说三道四和指手画脚，过去国人更多的是听到外交部新闻发言人的“强烈抗议或是强烈谴责”，很久没有听到这么直白直接的声音了。
记得毛泽东、邓小平等老一辈领导人就非常喜欢用直白直接的语言表达我们的观点。对比强烈抗议和强烈谴责等外交辞令，这直白直接的声音，更能直戳那些“吃饱了没事干”的喜欢指手画脚、干涉别国内政的外国人的痛处。只有这样的直白才更显示一个负责人的大国的底气；只有直白才更能表明一个走向强大的中国的鲜明态度；也只有直白才更能让国人感到痛快！
Not simply on his words, another blogger named Yan ChangHai gives a very positive comment on Xi's overall profile as a promising future leader too:
在外界的印象中，习近平持重厚道，面相庄严，言词谨慎，是一个深藏不露、胸有丘壑之人。但未曾想到，习近平不仅有谦谦君子之风，更有铮铮傲骨，尤其是今次的强硬发声，给国人心头带来一股清风。 习近平今次对外示强，态度显明，傲骨尽露，展示了一个大国领导人应有的底气和铁腕。
In our impression, Xi Jinping is a prudent and solemn person with undiscovered resource and astuteness. But unexpectedly, Xi can not only be mild-mannered, but also be a man of character. His strong speech is like a breeze in the spring that comforts our mind. Xi's expression of his power this time shows him as a proud man, who is a qualified leader of our great country, who has strong confidence and iron hand that is required to be a chairman.
He goes on criticizing the unsatisfactory status quo of Chinese diplomacy, which is overshadowed by Xi's strong manner:
改革开放后，中国经济虽然强大了，但政治上却愈来愈像侏儒，在国际上不敢主持正义，面对西方的威逼，忍辱负重。而今次习近平在美国后院直斥外国人“吃饱了没事干”，代表了全国人民的心声，是对这些包藏祸心的外国人的有力回击。
After the Reform and Open, though China has grown much stronger economically, we are more and more like a dwarf politically. We dare not speak for justice on the international stage, prefer to bear all the insult without a word when facing the western threat. And this time, Xi criticized those overly filled people at the backyard of America, representing the voice of all Chinese. It is a tough counterstrike to foreigners with malice.
Netizen xjjtbbd responds right below:
该强硬的时候一定要强硬
中国龙 China Dragon says:
中国人中于直起腰杆了
Desert-warship interprets it as a sign to America, also a diplomatic strategy that aimed to expand collaboration with Latin American countries.
有分析指，习近平访拉美向美国”后院”墨西哥发出了合作信号，中国也预料到此举将遭受西方大国非议，于是先声夺人，强硬表态，这显示中国正有意识地利用金融海啸带来的机遇转移外交重心，尽可能地绕过美国拓展市场，同时宣示中拉合作的信心与决心。美国会有何反应，仍然有待观望。
However, not all people side with Xi's comments. To those with more liberal views, Xi's words are exactly the contrary to anything that can be called powerful, strong or uncompromising.
2xiaoqing comments on DW blog:
大家看见了啦！伟大的共产党领导人就是这个思维的。他认为，我不输出革命扰攘你们，已经很对得起你们了！他认为，中国十三亿人民是“国家”供养着的，是“ 国家”的绵羊，“国家”自己怎辛苦都自己供养着，不把绵羊放出来吃你们的草，不饿死他们，已经是对人类一大贡献了，你们西方国家还要不满意！他还说，我这 个无赖不去“折腾”你们，已经是你们幸运，还要指手画脚的，你们真大胆！
Erica De Stales also contributes to the post.
Japan: Hetalia Axis Powers and the limits of parody
Hetalia (a combination of the words “hetare”, lit. useless, and Italia), a satirical manga created by Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和) [HH’s official blog, jp], set mainly during the Second World War and featuring national protagonists of that era, has drawn attention among both domestic and international audiences. Originally born as a webcomic [jp] out of the mind of a Japanese expatriate living in New York, Hetalia was published as a manga in 2008 by Gentosha Comics Inc. and was subsequently made into an animated series [eng. sub.] in January 2009, drawing more than 200.000 views on internet alone.
Hetalia-episode 01[RAW](Japanese only)
The story and the characters
Hetalia: Axis Powers [jp] (complete name) caricatures everyone without exception. Germany, Japan, France, U.K., U.S.A., Poland, Russia, the Baltic countries, Spain, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Poland, China, Korea and, above all, Italy, personified by boyish characters in the style typical of the Japanese manga, are portrayed exaggerating their (stereotypical) features, and are all pilloried with the same level of ironic intensity.
Yorozu Haki (万葉樹) suggests that this manga should be seen as a fictional product and as representative of a subcultural movement that, in recent times, has been spreading among the Japanese manga world, one in which many authors have started dealing with political or social themes, within the limitations of the artistic medium:
舞台は日本、イタリア、ドイツが同盟を組んだ第二次世界大戦あたりと思われます。ときおり、歴史的なうんちくが散りばめられているので、世界史マニアには興味深いかも。[…]
歴史認識が浅いという辛口の意見もあるのですが、しょせんはフィクション。ただ、現在マンガカルチャーの発言権は増しているだけに、偏見を植えつけかねないかも。日本人が国際社会で弱腰というのは、総体的にはそうかもしれないですが、いささか強調されすぎているきらいもありますよね。あと、こうした歴史文化的な興味というのは、往々にして、サブカルチャーを経由しているというのが、まさに現代的ですよね。
この漫画で描かれているように、おちゃらけ雰囲気で国際紛争もカタがつけばよろしいのでしょうけれど、現実問題、国家というのはおそろしいモンスターであって、けっしてひとりの人格に収斂させられるようなものではないのです。
Some have criticized the manga because of its superficial historical understanding, but it's just fiction after all. On the other hand, today's manga subculture is regaining its voice, and it may be that prejudices are setting in. It is generally true that Japanese people do not voice strong opinions in international social contexts, but it is also true that this fact has been somewhat overemphasized. Also, this kind of social-cultural interest, more and more frequently expressed through elements of subculture [such as manga], is a very modern [phenomenon].
It would be good if the international conflicts were settled as they are depicted in this manga, with its goofy atmosphere, but the problem is that nations are in reality dreadful monsters and they are not something that can be reduced to a single character.
Blogger Roko reflects on how such manga, despite not being meant to act as a historical reference, can nonetheless act as an opportunity to stimulate in the reader a curiosity to learn more about the world:
ウワサのヘタリア、読んでみました。国を擬人化した登場人物のからみは面白かったなぁ。
いつでも美味しいものを食べることしか考えていないヘタレなイタリア。ドイツの捕虜になって喜んでるソ連。何をするにも時間がかかるギリシャ。ケチケチなオーストリア。昔はかわいこちゃんだったのに、今じゃエラソーなアメリカ。真面目でいつも怒ってるドイツ。
それぞれの国の個性が、思いっきり突っ込まれてます。結局はみんなヘタレなのかなぁ～？
Good-for-nothing Italy that can think about nothing but good food. The Soviet Union, happy to be Germany`s prisoner. Greece, who takes a very long time in everything he does. Cheapskate Austria. The United States, who was so cute when he was little but then grew up to be so arrogant. Forever angry and serious Germany.
The personality of each country is ridiculed without exception. Perhaps all of them in the end are just “good for nothing”, no?
[…]
おバカなコミックスですけど、こんなところから世界を知るのもアリかなと思います。だって、学校ではこういうこと教えてくれないもの。この頃、世界に興味のない人が増えてるでしょ。そういうのって危険だと思うんです。
やみくもに外国がステキと思うのもいけないけど、知りもしないで否定するのはもっといけないことだと思うのです。
世界を知れば日本のことも知りたくなります。一つ知ればそこから興味が広がります。でも、最初の一つを手にすることができないと、そこからは何も広がらないのです。1×2は2、2×2は4になるけれど、0には何をかけても0。無知は恐ろしいことであり、悲しいことなのです。
While it is wrong [for Japanese] to blindly consider foreign countries to be wonderful, it is a much more worse thing to deny [history] without even knowing anything about it.
The more I learn about world history, the more I want to learn about Japanese history. As soon as I learn a new thing I become interested in a world of other things. But if from the start you are not granted the possibility to access that first piece of new information, then that knowledge will not spread.
After all, 1 times 2 makes 2, and 2 times 2 makes 4, but whichever number you multiply by 0, the answer is always 0. Ignorance is a scary and sad thing.
As its title suggests, the most ill-treated country in Hetalia is Italy. Descending from a glorious stock (his grampa is the Roman Empire), Italy seems to have shown signs of weakness since his childhood, being bullied by his European friends. Both in the manga and the anime, Italy is represented as always whining, lazy, keen on catching girls, and a lover of good food. Although many Italian enthusiasts of Japanese anime are looking forward to watching the fansubbed version, some of them questioned the “good taste” of the subjects selected.
In a thread dedicated to Hetalia [it] in Shinforum, a forum of Japanese culture fans, Agarsen, for example, writes:
Dopo aver letto buona parte dei capitoli, posso dire che, sebbene abbia trovato parte del manga divertente, ho trovato anche parte del manga di cattivo gusto; non offensivo, ma di cattivo gusto, proprio per la superficialità con cui certe affermazioni sono proposte al lettore. Se noi prendessimo la cultura giapponese e decidessimo di sbeffeggiarla “per quello che ci sembra” io non credo che i giapponesi ne sarebbero divertiti…
[…]
Ogni cosa può essere fatta sembrare idiota se letta superficialmente.
Il problema è che deve esistere anche una consapevolezza, una lettura più approfondita dei fatti che ti dice “Un momento, va bene riderci sopra, ma nella realtà dei fatti c'è poco da ridere”. Insomma, dovrebbe essere un riso amaro più che uno sbellicarsi. Io già m'immagino certa gente che penserà di capire la storia dopo avere letto Hetalia, esattamente come pensa di conoscere la società guardando la televisione…
The problem is that there must be some awareness, a more deep reading of the facts that tells you “Wait a moment. Laughing at it is fine but, actually, there is not much to laugh about”. In short, it should be more of a bitter laugh than roaring with laughter.
I can already see some people thinking that they now understand history after having read Hetalia, in the same way that they think they know society just because they watch TV…
Trovo difficile ridere al pensiero di gente che scappa dal fronte o si arrende senza combattere; gente pescata da ogni dove, che voleva solo farsi gli affari propri e vivere tranquilla, mal equipaggiata, mandata a combattere nel deserto… si dovrebbe ridere di questa gente?
Che si ridi di Mussolini e dei fascisti, ma loro..
Let's laugh at Mussolini and the fascists, but at them…
Polemics and protests
As mentioned above, the broadcast of the animated series inspired by the manga was scheduled for the 24th of January on Kids Station (a Japanese TV channel for kids), but it was officially suspended after 16.000 messages of protest arrived from Korean netizens, resulting in the anime being viewable only on the Internet and on mobile phones.
News about Hetalia in South Korea (English sub.)
That such a controversial subject as WW2, and the way in which countries were mocked and ridiculed, could result in some polemics, is not so surprising in itself. What struck many Japanese bloggers, however, was the fact that Korea, mentioned only in the comic and even there only as a minor character, considered its depiction a national insult, yet one more provocation from arrogant Japan.
In his analysis, Korean blogger no_tenki explains [jp] that the Korean reaction, which may seem extreme to many, is not in fact extreme but rather a consequence of anti-Korean messages constantly spread on the Japanese web, especially in some rightist bulletin boards or websites. These messages are what alarm Koreans living in their homeland as well as those living in Japan:
ヘタリアについて話しますと、[…]まあ、まともに読んでないので迂闊な評価はできませんが、人気があるということは、なかなかセンスのある方ではないかと思われます。ですけど韓国については、掘り下げが足りない…というより、単純に、ただのネタです。ボクもそう思いますが、韓国なんて登場しなくても構わないわけだし、どうでもいいとは思います。ですけど、韓国人としては、やっぱりこれは憂慮せざるを得ない。
However, regarding Korea [and how it is depicted in the manga], I do agree with those who say that, more than just being superficial, it is a mockery, and I also wouldn't mind if Korea wasn't depicted at all. As a Korean myself, however, I cannot help but feel concerned.
韓国のキャラ設定ですけど、ただ、ネット上においての韓国のイメージを、そのまま借用しているわけですよね。ネットの住人には納得できそうなキャラ像です。「ニダー」と違って顔も美形ですし、バカではあるけど悪気のあるやつとしては描かれていない。だからニダーとは違うのだ。むしろ好意的に捉えている。と思われるかもしれませんけど、その根本にある「韓国のイメージ」というのは「ニダー」も、この「韓国」さんも同じわけで、昔の「嫌韓」の常識（今はネットの住人の常識かな）を引っ張り出してきていて、それをアレンジしてるだけで、（絵は好きですけど、設定においての）材料は同じじゃないですか。「韓国とはこういう国だ」というイメージがここまで肥大したからこそ、別に嫌韓でない人でも、ヘタリアでの韓国のキャラに違和感を感じない。むしろ「事実どおりに描かれている」と思う。これはなかなか恐ろしいことだと思いますよ。「…」
Or, at least, this is what they would say. However, the basic image of Korea, be it Nidaa or mr. Korea, is the same. They are arranging the anti-Korean sentiment shared among netizens in a different way, but the ingredients are the same (I mean the ideology, because I actually like the drawing).
[…]
だからどっちにしろ、韓国ではヘタリアは極右の嫌韓（的な見方から韓国をキャラ化した）アニメとして知らされ、これから韓国の一般人の日本に対する認識を悪くする要因の一つとして存在しつづけるかもしれない。ということを考えると、とても心配なわけだ。
Links for Tue, 2009-02
Hungarian Spectrum writes that Hungarian news agency MTI has made all its 1989 and 1956 news items available online: “As someone who with great difficulty and and at great expense (admittedly underwritten by grant money) tried to collect news items from 1919-1921 I can really appreciate how technology has freed the modern historian from the tedium of ferreting out sources and focused his/her task on analysis.”
Veni Markovski criticizes the International Herald Tribune's coverage of corruption in Bulgaria.
Amila Bosnae reacts to the news of a death sentence given to two Afghans who “translated the Quran into one of their country’s languages.”
SandMonkey explains why the Pepsi logo looks like a rip off of the Obama campaign logo.
Students in Lebanon pose with their banner of peace, a denunciation of the conflict in Gaza.
Nowadays, no mass movement can ignore the importance of public relations and the social crisis in Martinique and Guadeloupe is no exception, according to Collectif5février [Fr, Martinique] and LKP and Elie Domota [Fr, Guadeloupe].
It has often been said that l'Ile de France (Paris and its surroundings) is the Fifth French Overseas Department, due to its huge population of French Guianese, Guadeloupeans, Martinicans and Reunionese. In this announcement published by CaribCreoleOne, a group called Continuité LKP [Fr] invites the diaspora to march in Paris to support the strikes in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
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