Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2011 August 10

10 August 2011

Daily archive · 4 posts

Stories from 10 August 2011

MENA: Can a Hashtag Spread Hatred?

Written by Tarek Amr · Middle East & North Africa

Over the past few days, more than 250,000 Israelis have protested in the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities over the rising costs of housing and food. Tarek Amr examines how a derogatory hashtag used by Arab Twitter users to comment on the protests in Israel has sparked debate on both sides.

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Israel: Protests for Social Justice Sweep the Country

Written by Gilad Lotan · Middle East & North Africa

What started as a local protest against the skyrocketing housing market in Tel-Aviv has escalated into the largest public uprising that the state of Israel has ever witnessed. The movement for social justice spurred tent cities in major metropolitan hubs across the country, mobilizing over 4 per cent of Israel's total population (one out of every 20 Israelis took to the streets in last week's massive protest).

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Egypt: The Unspoken Languages of the Streets

Written by Tarek Amr · Middle East & North Africa

We as humans have a unique ability to communicate via spoken languages. However in a crowded and loud city like Cairo, we sometimes need more than spoken languages to communicate. Tarek Amr takes a closer look at sign languages used in congested areas and the language of car honks.

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Chile: Demonstrators Thwart Hooded Violent Protestors

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · Latin America

Chilean students protesting for educational reforms have been rallying since April and in the process have been forcefully controlled with water cannons and tear gas. A recent video has shown some demonstrators stopping a violent protest; many Chileans have shown support for the students.

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Updates from 10 August 2011

Ethiopia

“Let's code for Ethiopia,” says Ethiopian blogger and programmer: “I came across a project initiative in the United States called code for america. The leaders of technology companies had a video where they ask the programmers to code for a change and it is a kind of social service. I thought about the issue for some time and it came to my mind what we can do for Ethiopia.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Nigeria

Noble does not understand why Halima Abubakar received Nigeria's Best Actress Award 2011: “Relatively new actress to the Nollywood scene, Halima Abubakar, took home the trophy for Best Actress of the Year at City People Awards. From all the movies I've seen her in, I can say for sure that I don't get why she won. I've never seen her playing a leading role, so it's just weird…but o well.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Sudan

Hassan Barakya explains why the issue of citizenship for the Ngok Dinka of Abyei is so complex: “Now that South Sudan is independent, the Ngok Dinka are in legal limbo. While their stated loyalty has always been with the south, the geographical region they inhabit along with migratory groups officially belongs to the north.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Sudan

Osman Shinger examines the uncertain future of media freedom in Sudan: “Journalists and rights activists have expressed concern about diminishing press freedom in Sudan. Reporters attribute their pessimism to what they call a “coup” against public liberties. Chief among their concerns is the press freedom that was stipulated in the 2005 peace agreement, whose duration concluded with South Sudan’s independence that took effect on 9 July.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Liberia

Dr. Sipho Moyo visits Liberia, a country of many firsts in Africa: “Liberia was Africa’s first republic, colonized in 1822 and declared independent in 1847. It is also home to Africa’s first female president: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I met with her last week at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia during a ONE listening and learning trip.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Haiti

Love Haiti suggests that “the hardships facing Haiti today may be compared to the Great Depression of the United States”, explaining: “The point of this analogy is simply to state that school/education should not be at the top of Haiti's agenda, a country confronted with a housing crisis, an unprecedented unemployment dilemma, a cholera epidemy, and a rampant insecurity. Instead, job creations or employment should be priority number one…”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba

As athlete Diana Nyad gives up her attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida, Generation Y says: “Her laudable intention was to highlight the closeness between the Island and its neighbor to the north, to help reconcile both shores. But the Straits of Florida is also part of our national cemetery, the graveyard where lie thousands of our compatriots. The omission by the athlete of such an important characteristic did not appeal to me.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Russia

On August 10, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed several decrees obliging 19 government agencies (including country's secret services) to put timely information online about their activities, Bloomberg reports.

• Vadim Isakov

Trinidad & Tobago

“Kenny always struck me as an unlikely environmentalist. His contribution to the environmental movement in Trinidad and Tobago is huge, and he inspired many people to work for conservation”: Ian Ramjohn bids farewell to Professor Julian Kenny, who passed away yesterday.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba

More on the attacks against activists that took place this past weekend: a statement from The Coalition of Cuban-American Women, a video “of victims who got away with minor injuries”, and reports of two other incidents, here and here.