Archive for
May 26th, 2009
Stories
Palestine: Israeli Armed Police Disrupt Literature Festival
The Palestine Festival of Literature is a traveling cultural roadshow touring across the West Bank, in Palestine, from May 23 to 28.
It aims to bring writers and artists from around the world to Palestinian audiences, to initiate and organize cultural festivals with international and local participation. Also, workshops with students in Palestinian academic institutions in co-operation with Palestinian academics are being organized on the sidelines.
According to the event's organizers:
Because of the difficulties Palestinians face under military occupation in traveling around their own country, the Festival will travel to its audiences. It will tour to Ramallah, to Jenin, to al-Khalil/Hebron and to Bethlehem. To celebrate its year as Cultural Capital of the Arab World, the festival will begin and end in Jerusalem. And for those audiences that we can't reach, we're running several ways to connect with the festival: from author blogs to daily videos to twitter updates you can check them all out on our Connect page.
However, the festival opening didn't start as smooth as expected and the first night was shut down by armed Israeli police.
Palfest first tweet about Israel harassment to the festival
Dan-Chyi Chua, from China, who took part in the festival wrote under the title “Reality Check or How to hold a festival under occupation” the detailed story of how the Israeli security forces came with guns and closed the ceremony down. She also adds her personal thoughts on this experience:
It is not a bad idea - to say the very least - to arrive in the West Bank, to set aside the ideals, causes and perceptions that we have packed along with our luggage on this trip, and instead listen to the stories of the people here. The voices of the Palestinian people are already sufficiently subdued, without outsiders coming to further drown it out.
Deborah Moggach reads at the new venue
Egyptian novelist, Ahdaf Soueif, who also participated in the festival, concluding her powerful blog post with this phrase:
Today, my friends, we saw the clearest example of our mission: to confront the culture of power with the power of culture.
English PEN World Atlas, echoing Ahdaf Soueif's Culture vs. Power quote, shared a video from the opening night.
Needless to say that it was not so long before people from all around the globe started tweeting about the event.
Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions from Twitter:
Twitter reactions to palfest
Africa: Most African Countries Do Not Recognise Africa Day
Africa Day is the annual commemoration on May 25 of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Ethiopia. Public events have taken place in different parts of the world to honour this day. Bloggers and twitter users have also remembered this day by writing posts and tweets related to Africa Day 2009.
We are learning from Zambia Watchdog that only four countries in the SADC region recognise Africa Day as a public holiday:
Looking back, it seems like the unity demonstrated by Africans as they fought against colonialism and imperialistic dominance is no longer there. In some parts of the continent, leaders are so self-centred that continental issues have been relegated to the very bottom.
Is it not a shame that to this day, few African countries recognise Africa Day? Is it not a shame that very few countries on the continent have set aside this day as a public holiday? And what lessons does this teach the future generation?
Looking at the calendars of the 14-members of SADC, only four countries - Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe recognise Africa Day as a public holiday. In the SADC region, it is only Namibia which has made the singing of the AU anthem a permanent feature at public gatherings and in schools.
Jason Von Berg blogs about Africa Day related events that took place in South Africa:
So in celebration of Africa Day, there’s a whole host of things happening in South Africa. The annual Africa Day concert took place at the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg…
Now speaking of music videos, here is another Africa Day-focused one, in which Namibian artist Gazza has teamed up with SA star Zola on a song called “Hold On”. The song is sponsored by UNICEF and Standard Bank Namibia and it calls on all Africans to unite against the atrocities and conflicts that damages the African image…
The best way to celebrate Africa Day is through hard work, writes the Root Cause:
Being an African, and a part of a new generation of South Africans, I am forced to look north towards the rest of the continent, and wonder if it will ever rise out of the misery and sadness that keeps it from really being a part of the world community.
But at the same time I have this terrible problem of being an optimist by nature; I have this faith that this is Africa’s century. A time to be nurtured from within. Really making a go for it!
The Irish Aid supported Africa Day celebrations in Ireland. Culch.ie writes about events in Dublin:
On Sunday coming, 24th May, from 12pm til 8pm, Africa Day are having a FREE outdoor event in Iveagh Gardens in Dublin 2. There is a huge variety of entertainment on offer here for kids as well as adults
There is a Flickr stream of Africa Day 2009 photos in Ireland:
Bock posts “Africa Day Limerick”:
They’re crazy, these Africans. What a shame they have to put up with Irish weather.
What a shame that any of us have to put up with Irish weather where it rains all the time.
Never mind though.
Africans have failed to learn key lessons about taking care of themselves, argues Angela Kintu in her post about Africa Day:
Africa has had a few tough decades with interference from our not-so-neighbourly neighbouring continents. And while the neighbours appear to be trying to make up for the bad times, conspiracy theories abound on how they are now colonising our minds since they no longer have legal access to our bodies. Maybe, maybe not. What is clear is that we have failed to learn key lessons about taking care of ourselves. We can be like penguins in a hole, looking up with our mouths open, waiting for someone to throw us a free fish.
In the twittersphere, the Irish Aid created a special Africa Day page.
Below are tweets that one finds on twitter about Africa Day:
NeoAid: There's more Africa than what usually makes headlines (poverty/AIDS/war/famine) - See Africa Differently this #africaday http://ow.ly/94cS
tsepeaces: Happy Africa Day! #africaday
NeoAid: If you happen to be in Ireland for #africaday, check out Irish Aid's celebrations at http://ow.ly/94aT or follow them @AfricaDay
neoaidcom: If you happen to be in Ireland for #africaday, check out Irish Aid's celebrations at http://ow.ly/94ay or follow them @AfricaDay
paoladm: #africaday hello a f r i c a ,http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/africaday/
NeoAid: Happy Africa Day everybody! http://ow.ly/94ak #africaday
neoaidcom: Happy Africa Day everybody! http://ow.ly/949K #africaday
loopyginee: RT @Devcrossing: RT @mulumba Happy Africa Day ma peoples! #africaday- And to you too!!!
micknsk: RT @negrita How good and how pleasant it would be/Before God and man/To see the unification of all Africans. Africa Unite #africaday
China and Hong Kong: June 4th protest T-shirt design
Every year on the Sunday before the anniversary of June 4th Incident (Tiananmen Square, 1989), people in Hong Kong would demonstrate to call for justice. This year, the 20th anniversary rally will be on May 31st. Moreover, on the evening of June 4th, there will be a candle night vigil where people will collectively remember those who had given their lives for democracy. Usually, the hosting organization, Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China, designs a standardized T-shirt for the activities. This year, there are some subtle changes, as netizens have already started to design their own protest T-shirt and shared with one another via online platform: such as Foncept. Below is a selection of netizens' DIY June 4th protest T-shirt designs:
The logo is designed by Kar Chun:
頂部為天安門，天安門內為“1989”，表明地點與時間;天安門與兩撇形成“六”，下部為“四”，且下部形成古漢字“囧”，囧在網意為：鬱悶，悲傷，無奈。原意為：光明。 整個標識體現：六四事件雖然是一次失敗的運動，但在某種含義上，象徵著新一代青年追求光明，嚮往民主的思想，這一次的運動，對日後我國的民主發展有著重要的作用。
The four Chinese characters are “vindication” and “mincing to death”; the designer egg sandwich said:
八九民運六四事件當中最為無情的最為觸目的應該是一部一部的坦克車轆死中國人。
This one, designed by Tai creative design, combines the characters “June 4th” with “Peace”.
Egg, on the other hand, embeds “June 4th” into the upside down character of “condolence”.
Zi Sun uses the scripture of Goddess of Democracy, which was collectively created by Beijing arts students in 1989, in his design.
Both Joel and Z!NG use the most impactive and symbolic photo showing a Beijing citizen trying to stop the tank from entering the Tiananmen Square with bare hand for their designs.
The designer Vicky explains that the design represents “students”, “red book”, “death” and “June 4th”.
Venezuela: Keeping the Internet as a Priority
When the Venezuelan government emitted Decree No. 6649, it raised red flags within the online community concerned about the possible effects to education, research and other fields important to development. The decree seeks to eliminate “luxuries” or “superfluous expenses” among the public expenditure, among which includes the Internet.
As a result, the online campaign Internet Prioritaria [es] was created with the opinion that Internet is a basic need. According to the group's statement, “the decree violates the public policies of the Venezuelan state, since Internet was declared a priority in Decree No. 825 and the State has made efforts to use Internet for the benefit of efficiency in public administration, health and education.”
In addition, this community’s concern is to maintain research and educational programs that is made possible because of the Internet, “we must guarantee that the sustainability of university projects based on information technologies is not affected by budget cuts.”
Among their objectives, Internet Prioritaria wants to maintain the status of Internet use as a priority, to develop technologies associated with Internet use that could be helpful in the public sector, and to support research on information technologies. Also, the group proposes to place the use of these technologies in the discussion around Venezuelan media so there could be a deep dialogue on the weight of Internet in development, as well as the importance of digital literacy.
The campaign has been active using Facebook [es] and Twitter. In its first 45 hours, the group reached 205 members. In Twitter, the tag #internetlujo [es] (internet luxury) is used to continue the campaign. Numerous blogs and other digital spaces have also joined in. The discussion in the Venezuela blogosphere could be seen from two different points of view, since while some argue that this new decree is an attempt to curtail freedom of speech, others consider this kind of campaign as trying to raise an alarm where there is no urgency. Here are some examples:
In her blog Signos Bajo la Luna [es], Holanda Castro makes a list of some of the bloggers that have published about the subject and also writes about the reason behind the decree, in her opinion:
Es paradójico. Mi país se erigió como paladín del Software Libre y de la Apropiación Social de Internet, hace años, antes de que otros lo hicieran. Con un revolucionario Decreto presidencial -no por el partido, sino por lo que realmente significa la palabra revolución- decía en el 2000 que era (¿y acaso no lo es ahora?) prioritaria la sistematización de procesos de la administración pública a través de Internet.
Luego de pasar años en la clandestinidad, soñando con un “otro mundo es posible”, al llegar al poder l@s revolucionari@s se dan cuenta de que eso del poder no es como parece. Porque el poder no se comparte, o dejaría de serlo, no se cuestiona, o se debilitaría, no se discute, porque es infalible. Eso, hasta los surrealistas lo saben y sufrieron.
It’s paradoxical. My country emerged as a hero of open-source software hero and of social ownership of Internet years before some others did. With a very revolutionary presidential decree –and not because of the political party, but because it was really revolutionary- it was said in the year 2000 that systematization process in the public sector through Internet was a priority (…and isn’t it still?)
After years in secrecy, dreaming about how “a new world was possible” the revolutionaries came to power, and thus, they realized that this thing called power is not as it seems. Power is not to be shared or it would stop being power. Power is not questioned, because it would become weak; it shouldn’t be discussed, because it is infallible. Even the surrealists knew that, and they suffered from it.
Francisco Palm, on the other hand, discusses from other point of view and thinks that there is a misinterpretation of the new decree [es]:
El problema es la lectura tendenciosa del decreto 6649, porque poco les falta para decir que el gobierno está prohibiendo Internet, de hecho el correo que se está difundiendo tiene por Asunto “Limitan Internet en las Universidades”.
En el decreto 6649 se indica con claridad que la finalidad es “optimizar la racionalización del gasto en el sector público”. Yo creo entender que la palabra “optimización” (ya que doy clases de técnicas de optimización) no quiere decir que se prohíba o se elimine, sino que incluso en el caso de una actividad muy razonable y necesaria se requiere depurar la implementación de dicha actividad “haciendo el mejor uso de recursos escasos”.
La “campaña” debería estar dada en términos de INFORMAR y establecer claramente que es lo que eventualmente puede hacer de Internet un gasto suntuario, hablar de como la organización social puede ayudar a generar propuestas más “solidarias” (en el sentido económico que le damos en Venezuela).
The main problem is this tendentious reading of the decree 6649. They’re almost saying that the government is banning the Internet. In fact, the email that has been circling around has as subject “Limiting Internet in the Universities”
The decree says clearly that the main goal is to “optimize savings in the public sector.” I believe I understand the meaning of this word since I teach different techniques to optimize. This does not mean that (the Internet) is going to be banned or eliminated; it means that it is necessary to purge this activity, even if it is a very reasonable and necessary activity, “using limited resources in a better way.”
The campaign should be devoted to INFORM and to point out clearly what are the elements that could make Internet a sumptuary expense. They should talk about how social organization can help to generate more “solidarity” in their proposals (in the economic sense we give to this word in Venezuela).
The idea of cyber-activism is something the blog Enigmas Press [es] believes is essentialfor public debate on such an issue:
Hay momentos que nos involucran a todos. No importa que partido tomar. Y es aquí donde entra el activismo-blog, ya sea un blog de cocina, de deportes, de chistes.
There are moments that involve us all. It doesn’t matter the side you want to take. It is here where blogs and activism enters; whether it is as a blog on cooking, on sports or jokes.
Malaysia: Yuna Changes the Face of Indie Music
The independent music scene in Malaysia is blossoming. In recent years, more and more independent musicians and bands are gaining in popularity thanks to social networking websites such as YouTube and MySpace.
Meet Yuna. You might think Yuna as a typical Malaysian youth, but one check in her diary (or should it be her MySpace calendar?), she has a list full of upcoming performances and she has her debut EP to promote, which is produced under her own recording label, Yuna Room Records. She is the talk of the blogosphere for not only producing great music but also her wholesome image. She causes a stir, in a positive way, in the indie music scene for wearing the tudung, a scarf worn around the head by women in Malaysia. It conceals the hair but not the face. This is similar to the hijab, worn by Muslim women elsewhere, especially the Middle East.
Nat Nat gives the inside scoop on Yuna’s rise to stardom:
Fairly unknown by the rest of the population at first, she then gain widespread attention after her debut track from her demo, Dan Sebenarnya were played at one of the top radio stations in Malaysia. Soon after, majority of the radio stations began to play her song. She has officially become mainstream.
Lin Loves tries to give an objective view on Yuna’s music:
She’s really a great singer, even the guy over the counter said so, and I was really lucky to get like the last copy in the store. You know the first time I listened to her I was like, “Hey this girl is fantastic, I love her voice and her music.” Then I stepped back and wondered if I’m judging her based on the fact that she dons the hijab and I know that there is a great, great possibility that i am biased. So I tried being as objective as possible and I think she great.
Indra is surprised by Yuna’s image but loves Yuna’s Norah Jones-like voice:
I checked out her profile on Myspace and what surprised me was, she wears tudung! She is so unique, with a Norah Jones-like voice I know she can go far (like I know, I just can feel it). Pretty calming, the songs of Yuna's. Try and listen to her songs, her English accent during singing and talking was so different. If she speaks, she sounds so Malay-ish, but when she sings, well that's when she jumbles up her accent and it really make her sounds like an English woman.
The Baju Kurung Adventure salutes Yuna's image and can serve as an inspiration to all:
[Yuna] is an indie singer/songwriter who just launched an EP. Tell you the truth all her songs were really great. Never seen her ‘live’ neither, but I have downloaded her songs and watched her on YouTube and to make my grin bigger, she wears hijab, which is very rare for indie girls, an inspiration. Besides, hijab or not, she is very talented. That's what count most.
Yuna is also well-liked by other races in the country. Tragic. Fairy. Tales. is shocked to find out Yuna's ethnicity:
My sister recommended this new indie singer to me Yuna. I was shocked when I knew she was Malay. (It’s not that I'm racist) Well, I must admit that she did have a great voice even though she's not exactly the prettiest chick and she's not exactly what I expect her to look like. In my opinion, our local music scene need more singers like her.
Her song is so infectious that some bloggers decide to use it as a background music to keep their readers entertained. Boundless Promise writes:
You know the song you've listening here in my blog. It calls Deeper Conversation performed by Indie singer, YUNA. Seriously, she is so talented and all her songs and her voice were like SUPERB!!! And she wrote and composed them all by herself. She's 22 and wearing tudung and currently performing in London.
Will there be a time in the future where people will only be talking about Yuna's music, not her image?
Malaysia: Is The New PM a Market Reformer?
Are we expecting a gradual political revolution with new leadership in Malaysia? Najib does not only embrace social media technology to improve citizen engagement, he ventures a step further where none of his predecessors had attempted before to introduce selective liberalization on financial and service sectors recently. That includes removal of 30% Bumiputra (ethnic Malay) equity requirement in those sectors in order to promote greater competition. Now is the crucial time where critics will scrutinize this unprecedented move and people will be eager to know the level of impact and transformation expected on overall economy.
Tony Fernandes acknowledges that it is a start that should lead to greater transformation:
The removal of NEP¹ requirements for 27 service sub-sectors represents a great start. […] But I hope more importantly, that the entire domestic economy is reformed. […] My wish is that Datuk Seri Najib does a Margaret Thatcher. At present, there is too much vested interest, conflict and red tape that kill creativity, discourage innovation and provide little incentive for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.
M. Bakri Musa offers similar conclusion that it is merely a beginning but not a total solution, he reasons that:
For Najib to have an excellent and comprehensive solution would require him to address the more difficult underlying issue of what prompted the instituting of quotas in the first place […] Ameliorate it and Najib would be able to liberalize not only the whole service sector but also the entire economy, if not every facet of Malaysian life. That would bring his “1Malaysia” aspiration that much closer.
Chua Soi Lek also acknowledges this is a positive move and ethnic Malays should not think their rights have been compromised:
I am sure this will attract more investment and also attract more professionals and technology into the country and hopefully it will be a boost to the service sector. […] The Bumiputra special rights are entrenched in the constitution. Nobody can take that away. So, a review of the NEP should not be construed by some Bumiputra as a challenge to their special rights as this is enshrined in the constitution.
Malaysia-Finance says the move is highly commendable and will attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to the service sector:
While the country may not see an immediate benefit, the cumulative goodwill will ensure a more competitive landscape for Malaysia in attracting foreign investments.[…] The move is very crucial in moving our reliance on services to at least 60 percent, and which would then lessen our reliance on electronics exports and commodities.
However, not all are in the consensus that this move will lead to greater changes on the existing policies. Tony Pua thinks it is nothing more than official announcement for policies that are already in place and questions its supposedly impact:
Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry (MITI), Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir has officially confirmed that it's all just hot air, no more, no less. […] Mukhriz not only stated his intent to “defend and promote” the New Economic Policy, he said that the recent liberalization measures announced by Najib was a move to synchronize what was already happening in the service industry. […] So it was all pretty much a public relations sham. These sectors were in reality already unimpeded by ownership restriction constraints. Hence what Najib announced will have very, very little real impact on the industry, if any at all.
Straight Talk confirms this view with this assessment:
I said that some of the initial reactions are too emotional and knee-jerk. Some of these sectors are already quite open even before the liberalization. Take computer and related services as an example, this sub-sector is already quite liberalized since the implementation of MSC² status. […] But as usual, a number of parties, analysts and stakeholders are trumpeting compliments of the PM's move.
So given the level of skepticism and general acknowledgement that more need to be done, Najib will need more time to prove that he is indeed a market reformer.
Links for Tue, 2009-05
Mohamed Nasheed discusses the recent decision by the President of Maldives to arrest certain politicians in the country. Some Maldivians were disappointed by this decision and there are unconfirmed reports that former President and Opposition Leader Mamoun Abdul Gayoom may be on the list.
“The way a society names its cities and places says a lot about its cultural history and social values,” writes Pervaiz Munir Alvi at Doodh Patti while discussing the naming practice in Pakistan.
Bahraini blogger Yagoob is frustrated about the light sentences handed down in Bahraini courts.
Trinidad and Tobago's The Undisputed Truth links to a story which, to him, “highlights how the Summit [of the Americas] is a total waste of money.”
Repeating Islands reports that “The Council of Hemispheric Affairs has just posted their analysis of the unrest that plagued Guadeloupe and other French Overseas Territories earlier this year.”
“If we as a people are to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, we must first establish a new sense of self and engage in a critical transformation of the mind”: Dominica Weekly wishes everyone a happy African Liberation Day.
From Trinidad and Tobago, the bookmann reviews the exhibition of the 2009 graduating class of Visual Arts Unit of The University of the West Indies.
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