Global Voices · Citizen media stories from March 2011

March, 2011

Monthly archive · 316 posts

Stories from March, 2011

12 March 2011

Portugal: A Protest Generation, Foolish and Scraping By

Written by Ana Vasquez · Translated by Sara Moreira · Western Europe

Hostilities have commenced: today the “Scraping-by Generation” goes to the streets in Portugal and beyond, protesting that 23% of young people are unemployed and hundreds of thousands are underemployed or in precarious work situations. With an anthem and some anti-conformism, is this Generation foolish?

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Taiwan: Reflection on Japan Earthquake

Written by Portnoy Zheng · East Asia

When the 5th strongest earthquake ever recorded hit Japan yesterday, Taiwanese were also shocked. Taiwan and Japan share a lot of geological similarity and both countries are very vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquake and typhoon.

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11 March 2011

Russia: Sochi Mascots, Politics, and Some Twitter

Written by Yelena Osipova · Russia

In an unprecedented move, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Committee was going to let the Russian people participate in the choice of the mascots, from their creation to the very selection. However, it all got mired by political controversy, "Russian style."

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Libya: Sub-Saharan Africans in Serious Danger

Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Mairi Mcgivern · Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

The crisis in Libya since the uprisings against Colonel Mouammar Gaddafi has not only had dramatic consequences for Libyans, but also for Sub-Saharan African citizens residing in Libya. Thousands of refugees are exposed to terrible conditions on journeys to the nearest borders, and numerous black Africans currently do not dare to leave their homes.

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Azerbaijan: Youth Protest in Baku

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Central Asia & Caucasus

Inspired by pro-democracy protests in Egypt and Tunisia, youth activists in Azerbaijan took to the streets in actions encouraged and coordinated by social media in what was their largest action staged in two years.

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Brazil: Where Violence Has an Age and Skin Color

Written by Atilio Baroni Filho · Translated by Atilio Baroni Filho · Latin America

On February 23, 2011, Brazil's Justice Department published the 'Violence Map 2011 - The Brazilian Youth', a study aimed at following trends in youth (15 to 24 years of age) mortality from violent causes. The conclusions are frightening.

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Updates from March, 2011

21 March 2011

Russia

Novaya Gazeta website publishes [ru] the first results of the nominations for the ‘Net Parliament,' the virtual project described by its creators as an ‘organ of the representative power of Russian Internet.' Among the first hundred of the nominated candidates are mostly Moscow-based bloggers.

• Alexey Sidorenko

Russia

Photoblogger Dervishv publishes [ru] extravagant photos of Saint Patrick's Day celebration: all kinds of green, Moscow hipsters, Irish flags… and police (the parade was officially banned). At least, some parts of the police forces were in green uniform.

• Alexey Sidorenko

Bhutan

Sonam questions the authority of employers who do not allow using social networks during official hour as right to information is a constitutional right for a Bhutanese citizen.

• Rezwan

20 March 2011

Iran

President Obama sent a Nowruz (Iranian New Year) message and said “though times may seem dark, I want you to know that I am with you.” Several Iranians write in social networking Balatarin, that Obama named several political prisoners.

• Fred Petrossian

Guinea

Interviewed by Mrs Nenette Baldé on the blog nenehawa.com, Binta Diallo, the winner of Miss Guinea France 2011, thinks [Fr] that: “The worst is that little Guinean girls associate excision with purity and believe that this is what will make them honorable, exceptional women. That's why I evoked the risks linked to this practice.”

• Abdoulaye Bah

Togo

Bernard Bokodjin wrote [Fr] on his blog pambazuka.org: “In a country where the opposition is not strong enough [yet] nor well structured to counterweigh a repressive regime that violates the principles of democracy and good governance, the press remains one of the spaces where freedom of expression can counter the drift.”

• Abdoulaye Bah