Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2012 January 04

4 January 2012

Daily archive · 6 posts

Stories from 4 January 2012

Mexico Wake Up! Artists United for Peace Go Viral

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · Latin America

The violence and impunity Mexico has been facing these past years have prompted artists, creators and media to join forces and launch a campaign to change statistics into names and stories. Through a collaborative project they are asking viewers to research other casualties and give voices to the victims of violence.

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Cameroon: Violent Clashes Between Motorbike Taxi Drivers and Douala Citizens

Written by Julie Owono · Sub-Saharan Africa

On December 31, 2011 in the popular district of Deido in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, riots broke out between the inhabitants of the district and motorbike taxi drivers, also know as "benskiners". Here are testimonies and videos from local bloggers.

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Singapore: Ministers to Take a Pay Cut

Written by Kirsten Han · East Asia

Singapore politicians are among the highest paid leaders in the world but they will receive salary cuts this year after a government committee has recommended hefty cuts to the pay of the city-state's leaders. Netizens react using the #ministerpaycut hashtag

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Slovakia: Medical Doctors' Protest

Written by Tibor Blazko · Eastern & Central Europe

One of the most important Slovak events of 2011 was the protest of over 2,000 medical doctors employed by state hospitals; 1,200 of them (from the total of 6,500) cancelled their job contracts later. Tibor Blazko explains the situation and translates the netizens' opinions on healthcare.

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Arab World: A Year In Pictures - Our Authors' Selection

Written by Hisham Almiraat · Middle East & North Africa

As we bid farewell to 2011 and look ahead to 2012, we asked our authors to share with you pictures that in their eyes have marked the past year in their respective countries. The following selection represents their choices.

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Peruvians Debate Possible Pardon for Alberto Fujimori

Written by Isabel Guerra · Translated by Betsy Galbreath · Peru

One of the most debated topics right now in Peru, especially on social networks, is the possibility that ex-President Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a sentence of 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity and corruption, may receive a humanitarian pardon.

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Updates from 4 January 2012

Arts & Culture

Mozambique's first stand-up comedy show Improriso shares jokes on one of the most popular tweets in the country (@ImprorisoMoz) and posts videos on its Youtube channel. Newspaper O País published a photo album of an improv performance in 2011.

• Janet Gunter

Chile

Greg Weeks explains the controversy over a decision to use ‘military government' instead of ‘dictatorship' in school textbooks: “Even if children don't bother reading them, their teachers will be using them to frame their own discussions in the classroom. They are a critical part of the construction of national identity, so revisions–subtle or otherwise–are a high-stake endeavor.”

• Silvia Viñas

Bolivia

In Americas Quarterly [es], blogger Cecilia Lanza praises the artisan women of El Alto who have created their own workshops and small businesses.

• Silvia Viñas

Chile

Enzo Abbagliati blogs [es] about a recurring discussion in Chile: removing or decreasing the IVA (value added tax) on books to promote more reading.

• Silvia Viñas

Bahamas

Blogworld pays tribut to Alex and Violette Zybine, “dancers who worked in The Bahamas during the 1960s and 1970s”, who died in a tragic accident.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba

Pedazos de La Isla reports on a New Year's Day protest by Cuban dissidents and the response by the authorities.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermuda

“This year will be an eventful one. We will have our elections as will our American friends. The power of the people to make progressive change was demonstrated with fervor last year and this year shows no sign of abating”: Respice Finem hopes for change in 2012.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica

“It’s an obvious thing but one that only a leader who inspires and moves the people can achieve. If anyone is capable of doing this it’s Portia Simpson-Miller”: Active Voice republishes the account she wrote of the new Prime Minister's swearing-in.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Kenya

Erik believes that 2011 was a great year for startups in Africa: “The past few years have been about building an infrastructure that improves the chances of the technology startups in Africa to succeed. Seeing this buildout in action in 2011 was exciting, but it should be recognized for what it really was: a setup for 2012 and beyond.”

• Ndesanjo Macha