Archive for
February 19th, 2009
Stories
Kenya: Much Ado About an Atlas?
Kenyan bloggers are talking about UNEP. First, regarding news of an Atlas that shows Kenya's changing environment, and secondly, the hypocrisy of driving into a UNEP meeting in a gas guzzler. Global Voices environment has covered the reaction of bloggers to UN's use of SUV's, please see this post on ‘Yellow Humvees and the UN procurement scandal' from November of 2008.
The United Nations Environment Program, which is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya launched the atlas earlier this week. A description from the UNEP site states
Kenya: Atlas of Our Changing Environment, produced at the request of the Kenya Government, provides visual and compelling evidence of the rapid changes taking place in the country's critical ecosystems due to pressures from human activities. The side-by-side display of historical and current remote-sensing images highlight forest degradation, wetland drainage, and shrinking lakes to the impacts of refugees on fragile ecosystems and signs of coastal degradation. The Atlas provides a good evidence base for strategic intervention by the government and communities.
Phil of Kenya Environment news blog points out the key conclusions from the 168-page Atlas, summarizes the key findings, and relates it to the UN's Millenium Development Goals, and Kenya's own Vision 2030. He writes…
One key finding of the Atlas is that achieving environmental sustainability is fundamental to achieving all the MDGs. Environmental resources and conditions have a significant impact on many aspects of poverty and development.
“One of the most powerful ways to help achieve the first MDG - eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - is to ensure that environmental quality and quantity is maintained in the long term,” the authors say.
For instance, poor people often depend on natural resources and ecosystems for income; time spent collecting water and fuelwood by children can reduce the time at school; and environment-related diseases such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infection, leukemia and childhood cancer are primary causes of child mortality.
“Vision 2030, with its ambitious development blueprint, is a key opportunity for the Kenyan Government to address environmental challenges as a key element underpinning the country’s sustainability and development,” concludes the Atlas.
The Rafiki Kenya blog takes a closer look and asks ‘New Kenyan Atlas a waste of resources?', amongst other questions about the report's accessibility to the regular Kenyan. The blogger admits that the report looks nice and is very well done with some interesting information, but…
… if you dig into the atlas a bit deeper, there is really nothing new in there. Nothing we didn't know already, I would say. Even the video that comes with it is a bit disappointing: mostly things you can also see through Google Earth, and with a non-Kenyan voice-over.
Should the production of this atlas really have been such a priority for UNEP? Does it make sense to do more tests on a sick patient when you already know which disease s/he is suffering from? Instead of spending more money on doing more tests and producing additional test reports, you would start treating the patient, right? So I think that is what UNEP should have done now: start treating the sick patient. Start treating our threatened environment by promoting and facilitating practical interventions for example. Kenyans were not really waiting for yet another nice report to gather dust on the shelves.
Also, the report is not very accessible to the average Kenyan. OK, you can download and/or buy the report here. But which Kenyan is really able to download a file of 63 MB? Or which Kenyan can afford US$80 for the hardcopy? And this is without shipping charges from the UK by the way. Why a report which is about Kenya and which has been produced by an organization (UNEP) based in Kenya needs to shipped from the UK is still a mystery to me. Is this another case of hypocrisy at UNEP? The use of SUVs by UN staff in Nairobi has been rankling some bloggers for some time now.
This brings us to the next topic causing much rancor. The SUVs that the President and other dignitaries drove in to attend the high level meeting at the UNEP headquarters in Gigiri, at which the Atlas mentioned above was unveiled amidst talks on a ‘new green economy'. Dipesh of Sukuma Kenya blog writes…
“Low Carbon Economy”
What sort of vehicles do you think these 140 important people rocked up to the meeting in? Perhaps one of these?
No, doubt our Very Important People's Government of Kenyan wanted to make sure they can live up to the very high standards set by the United Nations. And of course we all know that there is no shortage of fancy cars donated by Kenyan citizens the GoK. Between January 2003 and September 2004, President Mwai Kibaki's government spent at least Kshs 878 million in the purchase of luxury cars that were largely for the personal use of senior government officials such as ministers, assistant ministers and permanent secretaries.
Dipesh recounts the experience had with UNEP officials when he tried to make them aware of how their messages urging others to reduce their carbon footprint while UNEP cars are largely SUVs with high CO2 emmissions. He also ties the misallocation of resources and corruption to the current food crisis in Kenya.
A comment left on the post gives a suggestion, with which we end this post:
Perhaps such meetings should have a shuttle service for all who attend, that way you reduce the number of individual vehicles that need to be used for transport. I wonder how that would go down. If GK and UNEP want to preach about creating a greener Kenya the logical 1st step would be to take the initiative and set an example? But i guess things don't work logically here in Kenya. I still don't understand why the government thinks it is above the civil society, my understanding of governments was that they were around to serve the people not the other way around.
Palestine: The Story of a Gazan “Martyr”
The death of anyone close to you is painful, but how do you cope with it if that person has actively sought death? Gazan blogger Samaher Al Khazandar has written about her nephew, Mu’min Musa Al Khazandar, who joined the military wing of Hamas, and was determined to die as a martyr while fighting for Palestine.
Samaher says:
Her heart fluttered that day when she said in a tearful voice, “May God grant you what is in your mind.” She felt that her soul was in shreds as she recalled these memories, and she swallowed her anguish for being unable to say a final farewell to her son, and felt choked with bitterness.
She looked at them doubtfully and replied, “His body was blown apart?”
Her sister clarified, “No, no… I swear they said he is just as he was…just that…the rocket hit his head…Sister, his face has no features…Everything is whole apart from his head…I mean…Keep another, better memory of him…He certainly would not have wanted you to see him like this.”
She looked round at all their weeping faces with a vacant expression, and mumbled in an exhausted voice, “I entrusted him to God…God would not let this be in vain…”
Caribbean, USA: Where in the World is Allen Stanford?
UPDATE: Barbadian diaspora blogger Keltruth Corp. links to mainstream media reports confirming that Mr. Stanford has been located in Virginia. He has not, at the time of this posting, been charged with any criminal violations.
It's one thing for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to lay fraud charges against Texas billionaire-cum-Caribbean cricket magnate Allen Stanford - but first, authorities have to find him. As panicky investors flock to Stanford-owned banks from Antigua to South America to try and withdraw their funds, speculation is rife as to where Mr. Stanford might be.
Live in Guyana, on hearing the news that “billionaire investor and cricket financier Allen Stanford has gone off the radar”, says that he has “done a Dataram”, comparing his flight tactics to those of “Guyanese drug accused and US fugitive, Barry Dataram”. This is not the only talk of this nature in the regional blogosphere - Barbados Free Press says:
Current and past allegations include drug money-laundering by Stanford’s companies.
…and goes on to post another entry which suggests that:
United States federal authorities are putting out the word that as well as the Ponzi-scheme fraud charges, Sir Allen might be facing the music for money-laundering for a Mexican drug cartel and bribing public officials.
Living in Barbados views these developments as “a very good reason to argue for politicians to disclose their assets…to remove as much as possible the taint of possible conflicts of interest.”
He continues:
The recent financial troubles befalling CL Financial Group's Trinidad operations and now the leveling of fraud charges against Allan Stanford and his Antigua-registered Stanford Financial Group point to one aspect of the possible conflicts in our own back yard. To what extent are politicians personally tied to the ailing institution or those who run them? To the extent that such ties exist, how has it affected or will it affect political and policy decisions? The Antiguan government was very cozy with Mr. Stanford, and with elections now set for next month, that may have a very bad bearing on the outcome for the ruling party. Barbados' former central bank governor is on the Board. With Mr. Stanford going AWOL (reportedly in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands), the trail to find him and his assets may lead to some unwelcome doors.
Barbados Money Laundering Advisory meanwhile, sees parallels with “the ‘Lord Conrad Black' story” but some bloggers' main concern is still the potential effect of the fraud charges on the future of West Indies cricket. B.C. Pires writes from Barbados:
WEST INDIES TOOK all morning to remove the English night watchman. At blogging time, with lunch looming, England were nearly 400 ahead with seven wickets in hand. Will Captain Strauss hold the declaration until after lunch? Until Cook makes a century? Until the Allen Stanford lynching?
West Indies fans – such a misleading word for the miserable clutch still left doing their best to support the rump of what was once a fine team – know the real debate is when the collapse will come. Before tea? Before stumps today? Lunch tomorrow? Before the end of this sentence?
Once again, it’s not so much a case of Ye of Little Faith as much as We of Much Firetrucking Experience.
The Caribbean has had much experience of late with the debilitating effects of collapsing financial empires - how the Stanford story will play out remains to be seen.
Brazil: Blogging from riverside communities in the Amazon
An interesting blogging initiative called Mocoronga Network [pt] is taking place along the riversides of the Amazon, Tapajós and Arapiuns rivers in the Amazon forest. ‘Mocorongo' is the name given to those who are born in the city of Santarém, State of Pará, the region's biggest urban center. Youngsters from riverside communities located in the municipalities of Santarém and the neighbouring Belterra have joined forces to express themselves, exchange news and learn about the world on the web.
The project is part of the work that the NGO Saúde & Alegria [Health and Happiness, pt], has been carrying out in the region since 1987. The PSA, as the NGO is known, drew the attention of the world when it put a team of doctors and clowns onboard a boat and headed down the river, offering primary health services to communities in isolated regions. From the start, their methodology combined medicine with circus activities, as they believe associating health care with play breeds better results. When you see them trying to teach dozens of school children to brush their teeth – which is not a habit in the region – you immediately see the logic in this strategy!
Abaré’s educators dressed for a day’s work. Photo by Deborah Icamiaba.
Today, having gained much international support and acquired a fully equipped hospital boat called Abaré, the PSA partners with municipalities to transport their doctors to the communities and also mobilize volunteer specialist doctors from all over the world to carry out sophisticated interventions otherwise not be easy region, for instance cataract surgery.
The Abaré hospital-boat parked at a riverside community on the Tapajós river. Photo by Deborah Icamiaba.
Although the main focus of the PSA Project is health care, they very soon realized that health problems have interdisciplinary solutions which have to do with the local economy, the environment, education, access to information and political organization. Different initiatives began and one of them is to strengthen the social communication resources of these communities, both in the way they communicate amongst themselves and the way they communicate to the world outside.
Thus, the Mocoronga Network [pt] was born out of a project that empowered local youngsters to become community reporters, by teaching them to produce radio programs, videos, newspapers and blogs on the Internet. Each community has its own media unit with basic equipment: sound systems, editorial desks, video equipment and an Internet connection which they manage in their own manner (so far, six have been equipped, but they aim to reach 31). Local schools are important partners. The main desk is situated in Santarém, at the PSA’s headquarters, from where staff members disseminate important regional news. These youngsters receive information to feed into the community and also post their own reality, daily challenges and cultural activities to the outside world.
School children from a riverside community on the Tapajós river. Photo by Deborah Icamiaba.
The six communities which already have their own blogs through the Mocoronga Network are: Muratuba, Cachoeira do Aruã, Piquiatuba, Maguari, Belterra e Suruacá. The Abaré boat has its own blog too on the Mocoronga Network (all in Portuguese).
A view from the Abaré boat of a riverside community on the Tapajós river. Photo by Deborah Icamiaba.
Recently, the Suruacá community reported [pt] on how the community joined forces to build their new community centre. The strength of the local men was much appreciated, as tree trunks had to be carried by hand:
Como na comunidade não tem transporte adequado para este trabalho árduo, a madeira é conduzida no ombro, na cabeça e de outras maneiras possíveis encontradas pelos próprios trabalhadores. A madeira fica com um percurso de 40 minutos do ramal de onde será conduzida com o auxilio de uma carroça-de-boi, diminuindo assim o sofrimento dos comunitários.
Adriane Gama, from the PSA headquarters, has used the network to disseminate information about the risks that the upcoming carnival festivities present to children and youngsters [pt]:
Estamos no mês de carnaval, de folia e alegria. Mas, em se tratando de crianças e adolescentes, devemos ter cuidados redobrados nessa época para que muitas delas não seja abusadas e aliciadas por pessoas que violam os direitos fundamentais infanto-juvenis. Para contribuir com a diversão e segurança das crianças e adolescentes nesse carnaval em Santarém - PA, o conselho tutelar e várias parcerias devem unir forças para o sucesso do trabalho.
Children from a riverside community line up for a tooth inspection. Photo by Deborah Icamiaba.
The Mocoronga Network also disseminates international news to local communities. For instance, in the World Social Forum, which took place last month in the neighboring town of Belém, some youngsters participated in the event along with PSA’s staff and together they picked articles from media channels that represented their perceptions of the event. As an example, they published an article indicating a view that the Social Forum was conclusive on a number of issues, contradicting much of what had been said by the mainstream media.
A nona edição do Fórum Social Mundial (FSM) terminou neste domingo (01/02), em Belém, com a “Assembléia das Assembléias” adotando dezenas de resoluções e propostas que serão temas de um programa de mobilizações ao redor do mundo em 2009.
As 21 assembléias temáticas, assim, quebraram o que parecia ser um tabu do FSM, ou seja, adotar posições políticas comuns sob a pressão de milhares de grupos da sociedade civil, ansiosos por agarrar a oportunidade criada pela crise econômica global de uma mudança progressiva.
The 21 thematic assemblies, this way, challenged what seemed to be a taboo for the WSF, which is the ability to define common political stances under the pressure of thousands of civil society groups who are anxious to seize the opportunity created by the global economic crisis to move towards progressive change.
With a variety of news from riverside communities produced by local youngsters, interesting tips from PSA staff and an increasing participation in significant world events, the Rede Mocoronga is an interesting way for anyone in the world to find out more about the lives of Amazonian riverside communities, learn about how they live, their challenges and concerns, as well as how they feel about world problems.
A river with a view. Photo by Deborah Icamiaba.
Georgia: Eurovision Controversy
Following its recent war with Russia, Georgia had initially planned to boycott this year's Eurovision Song Contest to be staged in Moscow, but later changed its mind. However, if reversing that decision might have initially seemed an attempt to repair damaged relations, yesterday's national song contest proved otherwise.
In two posts, This is Tbilisi Calling explains the possible controversy surrounding the lyrics of the country's likely entry.
Georgians may use the Eurovision Song Contest to poke fun at neighbouring Russia after losing last year's war between the two countries if one potentially provocative song is chosen by the Georgian public as their entry for 2009. Eurovision, of course, will be held this year in Moscow, where the song Put-In Disco would probably not get much of an enthusiastic welcome. […]
[…]
[…] its chorus goes like this: “We Don’t Wanna Put In/The negative move/It’s killin’ the groove.” What you actually hear ,of course, is “we don't wanna Putin” […]
Today, the same blog announced that We Don't Wanna Put In by Stefane and 3G had been chosen as the country's entry.
The slyly anti-Russian song We Don't Wanna Put In has been chosen as Georgia's entry to the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow - if the event's organisers allow one of the entries to denigrate the host country's prime minister, of course. […]
The Oiko Times says Georgia might be forced to change the lyrics while Posh & Becks of Eurovision thinks that Georgia is playing with fire.
Anyone wanna take bets on how long it will take before the EBU take actions against Georgia? There is no chance in hell that they will be allowed that lyrics after everything that has been going on between Georgia and Russia. The song is called “We don't wanna put in” and is a disco stomper. […] Dangerous. Get it? Put in. Putin. We don't want Putin.
Other Eurovision observers were quick to comment on their blogs. Unzipped: Gay Armenia says the song is likely to prove controversial.
Georgia decided to send Stephane & 3G with “We don't wanna Put in”. Clever and funny ‘playing with words' :) While the song itself is pretty typical, it's quite catchy and funny. And it's possible to sing along […].
This song, if approved by Eurovision officials, will get a very tough reception in Moscow, with likely boo-ing in the auditorium. No chances for 12 points from Russia to Georgia (this was alleged by many as a possible political gesture from Russia's side.) […]
There have been regular attempts at protest songs at Eurovision in past: some - successful, others - not. Perhaps, the most successful recent attempt, which Georgians want to repeat, was that of Ukraine two years ago with Verka Serduchka ‘playing with words' while singing ‘Lusha Tumbai' (='Russia Good Bye'). […]
The blog says that the song might go down well in Western Europe and some former-Soviet states, but warns that it could also backfire. Regardless, JawnBC says Eurovision is at least getting interesting.
I'm listening, trying to figure who wrote this archetypal bad English. Then *ding* the light went on.
We don't wanna put in, negative mood is killing the groove. Or We don't want Putin.
There's a rule against political songs in the Eurovision. But with their recent war–and the Contest being held in Moscow–I bet the Georgian public couldn't resist.
This is likely not the last to be heard about the song.
Guatemala: President Colom Apologizes for the Bay of Pigs
In preparation for the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, the government of Guatemala allowed the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to train Cuban exiles for the operation. Even though the invasion failed with approximately 100 invaders killed, and many more captured, the memory still remains. Blogger Tokolshte Chapin [es] describes the historical facts connecting Guatemala and this invasion.
Picture of Cuba by Ilkerender and used under a Creative Commons license.
Nearly 50 years later, the current president Álvaro Colom visited Cuba and took the opportunity to officially ask Cuba for forgiveness for the use of Guatemalan soil for the operation. Some bloggers like Patricia Cortez of Guatemalidades [es] congratulate President Colom and supports the apology.
Additionally, Colom presented former Cuban leader Fidel Castro with the Order of the Quetzal, which is the highest honor given by Guatemala. The award was given to recognize the work that Cuban doctors have been doing across the region. Cortez also wonders why so many Guatemalans criticize the quality of life in Cuba, when in their own country, a free country, people in rural areas lack basic needs such as hygienic supplies, clean water, and other basic services. This description by Melissa Lockhart of Cuba - The World Affairs Blog Network shows why Castro was recognized:
Guatemala’s 70 year life expectancy ranks as one of the lowest in the Hemisphere—a full eight years below those of close neighbors Costa Rica and the United States—and there is little potential for improvement when the country’s current annual health care spending is a mere $15 per capita (according to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ). Cuba’s generous policy of “exporting health” is consequently welcomed with open arms in Guatemala, and is good reason for President Colom to personally come to Havana to thank the Castros. Yesterday, in a gesture of his gratitude for over 17 million medical consultations and more than 40,000 eye surgeries performed by Cuban doctors in Guatemala, Colom offered to Fidel Guatemala’s highest distinction—the Order of Quetzal (Collar grade). Raul accepted the honor on his older sibling’s behalf.
Cuban blogger Colada of Ideas Ocultas [es] describes where the award's name came from, the bird called the Quetzal and that people should know for what the award is named. CR Aguilar of Nueva América Central [es] cannot understand why Castro accepted the honor of the Order of the Quetzal, since it is not considered that prestigious to some:
La Orden del Quetzal es la más corriente de todas las preseas, otorgada a miles de personas y organizaciones de la más diversa calidad, incluyendo al monopolista Carlos Slim, el ex vicepresidente Juan Francisco Reyes López, Benito Mussolini y la Lotería Nacional. Tan sólo durante el mandato de Portillo se entregaron 168 ejemplares, muchos de los cuales - no me sorprendería- están acumulando polvo en el rincón oscuro de algún desván. Manuel Ayau, entre otras personas dignas, han rechazado a la condecoración por considerarla más bien un insulto que un honor.
The Order of Quetzal is the most common of all the awards, given to thousands of people and diverse organizations, such as the monopolist Carlos Slim, ex-Vice-President Juan Francisco Reyes López, Benito Mussolini and the National Lottery. Just in the administration of (Guatemalan President Alfonso) Portillo gave 168 awards, many of which - I wouldn't be surprised - are gathering dust in some dark corner in some attic. Manuel Ayau, among other dignified individuals, rejected the decoration considering it more of an insult, than an honor.
Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [es] notes that President Colom was the only President who recently visited the island and returned home without a picture with Fidel Castro. This recent visit also seems to have brought the two countries closer together. The relationship between the two countries continues to grow stronger, for example, Guatemala's history and traditions were recently featured in a Cuban online magazine called Juventud Rebelde [es]. Rural bloggers, such as El Poptuneco [es] is proud of the fact that many more Cubans are learning about Guatemala.
There are even visits between the two countries via cyberspace, as Edgar Hernández Paz of Conmotio Cordis [es] is questioning why if there is supposed heavily restricted internet access, then why did he receive a Cuban visitor at his Guatemalan blog.
At the end of Colom's visit, Cuba honored Guatemala with a park dedication. But even when the President returned home, the debate about the apology is still active.
Links for Thu, 2009-02
Writing for the Frontline Club blog, Al Jazeera's Matthew Collin comments on a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists which criticizes both Russia and Georgia of exerting control over the media. In particular, the blog says that coverage of the August war over South Ossetia in both countries “portrayed the fighting in one-sided, one-dimensional ways.”
Bahraini blogger Hussain Yousif suggests that the Bahraini government block its own ministry websites before any others, as he says many of them are out-of-date and of poor quality.
An Ordinary Citizen points to an important aspect of the media coverage of the proceedings of Bangladesh parliament: “Media is to convey the news of the parliament as expected. Now, media is producing news of itself of matters which should have been discussed in the parliament.” Read the post for details.
Remmy blogs about a survey by the Royal Holloway University of London, which shows that helectronic learning (e-Learning) on the continent of Africa is still at infancy.
Sokwanele blog has images from a picket held in Durban, South Africa calling for the release of political prisoners in Zimbabwe.
According to Zimbabwean blogger, Conrad Mwanawashe, Zimbabwean teachers will not return to work because the salary promised by the government is not enough. Teachers have not been reporting for duty since last year.
Caribbean Free Radio posts the final installment in the cut + clear Carnival podcast series, as the team visits with photographer Jeffrey Chock to discuss the Carnival experience.
In anticipation of Bermuda's Budget Day tomorrow, Vexed Bermoothes says: “Government needs to show prudence, while stoking the rapidly eroding economy, while revealing where it’s going to get the cash.”
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