Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2009 March 04

4 March 2009

Daily archive · 11 posts

Stories from 4 March 2009

Egyptian bloggers unite in the face of terrorism

Written by Marwa Rakha · Middle East & North Africa

Eman AbdElRahman wrote about how the Egyptian blogosphere reacted to Al Hussein bombs on February 22 that resulted in the death of a French tourist and the injury of more than 20 people. Today, I will write about a group of Egyptian bloggers and their initiative to combat terrorism.

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Australia: Reactions to “Cricket Terror”

Written by Kevin Rennie · Pakistan, Australia

Cricket, that shared legacy of British colonialism, has taken centre stage in Australian blogs following the terror attack in Lahore. This terror attack has taken bushfires off the front pages of Australian newspapers and the lead stories of the electronic media.

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Israel: Cold Front Warmly Received

Written by Maya Norton · Middle East & North Africa

The snow and icy rains that chilled Israel this weekend received a warm welcome from its residents. As the rainy season draws to a close, many fear that this year's low rainfall will lead to dangerous summer drought.

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Mexico: Two Musicians Selected for YouTube Symphony Orchestra

Written by Issa Villarreal · Latin America

Two Mexican musicians have been selected for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra international orchestra, a collaborative project using social media through the use of auditions through YouTube videos. Manuel Zogbi from Saltillo and YouTube user Intisamente from Veracruz both submitted and uploaded videos displaying their musical talents in order to be considered for the contest.

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A Brazilian journalist in search of Iranian bloggers

Written by Fred Petrossian · Middle East & North Africa, Latin America

Raul Juste Lores is a Brazilian journalist and Beijing Bureau Chief of Folha de Sao Paulo. He has recently taken a trip to Tehran, where he met and interviewed several Iranian bloggers and civil society personalities such as the Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi. Discover his motivations in this post.

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Morocco: Moroccan-American Author Releases First Novel

Written by Jillian C. York · Middle East & North Africa, North America

Over the past few years since her first book, a collection of intertwined short stories entitled Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, was released, Laila Lalami has emerged as one of Morocco's best known authors. As few Moroccan writers' work is translated into English, and even fewer female writers', Lalami's books - penned in English - fill a gap in the connection between Moroccan literature and the west.

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Bahrain: Defence Lawyer Dismisses Rape As “Harmless Fun”

Written by Ayesha Saldanha · Middle East & North Africa

A court case involving the alleged abduction and gang rape of a woman has caught the attention of some of Bahrain's bloggers, because of the act was dismissed as harmless fun by the female defence lawyer.

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Madagascar: “I feel like in a war movie”

Written by Lova Rakotomalala · Sub-Saharan Africa

The political crisis in Madagascar, unfolding since late January, took yet another turn today with the sound of gun shots and tear gas, as police and protestors clashed all over Antananarivo, the capital city. Eyewitnesses describe the scene on Facebook and Twitter.

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Arrest Warrant For Omar al-Bashir: “Just Talk And Talk…”

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · Sub-Saharan Africa

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrant Wednesday for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir making him the first sitting head of state to be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges are based on the conflict in Darfur. In this post, we are taking a look at opinions and thoughts of Sudanese bloggers. Some bloggers have taken the “wait and see” approach while some argue that past experiences show that nothing will really happen. “You dance and loudly talk…just talk and talk….,” writes Ras Babi.

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Blogging Positively: Live Chat about HIV/AIDS on March 6

Written by Juhie Bhatia · Announcements

Rising Voices and Global Voices are holding a live online chat for bloggers and activists on Friday March 6, 2009 (5 pm Nairobi time) on how to use blogging to help improve awareness and information about HIV/AIDS.

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Updates from 4 March 2009

Sri Lanka

J. Krishnamurti at Going Global refutes all the speculations regarding the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team: “I'm trying to tell you folks to calm down a bit and don't be so quick to judge. The attacks could have been carried out by anyone for any conceivable reason. Pakistan has been the target and location of many meaningless attacks over the past few years.”

• Rezwan

Pakistan

Teath Maestro describes the blame game after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan: “Right now, collectively, (media, bloggers, political parties and government) all search for escape goats elsewhere - primarily the focus of their diatribes (not in any order) is the US Administration, the Talibans, the Indians (Raw…if you hear Hamid Gul croaking after the CID report was released) and the euphemistically termed Agencies.”

• Rezwan

Thailand

beyond skin mentions some of the hilarious and racist statements issued by the Thai and Myanmar governments about the status of the Rohingya refugees. For instance, a Myanmar envoy described the Rohingyas as “ugly as ogres.”

• Mong Palatino

Bangladesh

After the tragic death of army officers in the BDR mutiny incident on 25th of February in Dhaka, Bangladesh, many are auditing the actions of the government pondering how the damage could be minimized. Unheard Voice discusses about some leaked audio files of a closed meeting between the Prime Minister and the aggrieved army officers and raises some questions.

• Rezwan

India

Ultra Violet informs that: “in response to the recent attacks against women in the city of Bangalore, many individuals and organisations have come together to form FEARLESS KARNATAKA or Nirbhaya Karnataka to reclaim public spaces and promote safety for all.”

• Rezwan

Fiji

When about 30 uniformed soldiers in Fiji's army — including the Chief of Staff — showed up at a trial where eight servicemen (and one former police officer) have been accused of killing a teenager in 2007, Fiji Today called it “intimidation of court witnesses by [the] Fiji military.”

• John Liebhardt

Fiji

With China's loan to Fiji to build low-income housing soon to be approved, Intelligentsiya wonders how the money will be repaid if few people can even afford inexpensive accommodations because of Fiji's sagging economic figures.

• John Liebhardt

Philippines

Monobloc blogs about the Filipino delicacy balut, “fertilized duck egg with nearly-developed embryo, boiled and devoured straight out of the shell.”

• Karlo Mikhail Mongaya

Egypt

Egyptian blogger Mohammed Maree posts a video interview with blogger and activist Hossam Elhamalawy about his work at the Center for Social Studies, including workers' strikes, industrial action and their connection to developments in Palestine.

• Amira Al Hussaini

Egypt

Egyptian blogger and TV personality Marwa Rakha writes about her new television programme on blogging - Tadweena, which focuses on blogs, bloggers, social networking sites and online forums. Click on the link to watch the first episode of the show [Ar].

• Amira Al Hussaini