Latest posts by Janet Gunter
Mozambique: Coal mine blocked in protest
Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is reporting on Facebook that about 500 residents of neighborhoods resettled by Brazilian mining company Vale are blocking road access to its coal mine in Moatize, Tete province. The peaceful protest is for greater compensation. The paper is reporting the rail line is also disrupted.
Foreign Investment Sidelines East Timorese
Olavio Quintas, from the eastern tip of Timor, expresses his frustration with “development” in his country to Radio Liberdade Dili. He says “Timorese people have become observers to foreigners’ investments” lamenting the lack of employment for young people, as investors and government do not trust Timorese to do the smallest tasks.
Angola: Arrested and Disappeared for “Thinking Differently”
Yet another protest in Luanda ended up with 18 detained. The protest action called for "dignity and the right to life for those who think differently", remembering silenced journalists and activists in Angola, among them Alves Cassule and Isaías Kamulingue disappeared since May 2012.
Tales of Love and Sex from Angola
Rosie Alves is a 21-year-old blogger in Luanda who writes short tales often about love and intimate encounters in her blog "Sweet Cliché". She shares with Global Voices her motivations and aspirations, telling us more about her generation and the growing Angolan blogosphere.
Weary of Austerity, Portugal Sings a Song of Revolution
Thousands of Portuguese people have promised a massive anti-austerity protest on March 2, 2013. Leading up to the date, demonstrators have led a campaign to interrupt government ministers during their public appearances by singing a historic song used by revolutionaries who toppled the country's dictatorship in 1974.
New UN Envoy Blogs from Guinea-Bissau
Ex-President of East Timor, UN representative and Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta is blogging from Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. He writes of his warm reception by people at a marketplace. He republishes his posts on his Facebook page where they are widely commented on.
State-Sponsored Violence in Angola
Blogger Claudio Silva argues on Africa Is a Country that a deeper look at state-sponsored violence (urban evictions and crackdowns on protest) is needed to put into perspective two viral videos that recently shocked the country (see Global Voices coverage). He writes “the violence in Angola comes from the very...
Mozambique: Mouthwatering Zambezian cuisine
Afreaka blog [pt] pays homage to food from central Mozambique, from Zambézia Province. They write, besides spice, the secret is “lots of coconut milk, made fresh, grating coconut into hot water”. They describe five unique dishes made with coconut.
Video of Brutal Beating of Women Shocks Angola
On February 7, 2013, Angola awoke to the sounds of screams of pain and the sound of two women customers of a store being whipped. In just three days the 13 minute video that showed two women being brutally beaten had more than 25,000 views on Youtube, was aired on state television and shocked the Angolan community.
Panic and Terror Walk Hand-in-Hand in Guinea-Bissau
As the world's attention is focused on another part of West Africa, the citizens of Guinea-Bissau struggle to bring a worsening human rights situation to regional and international attention. Guinean Human Rights League released a major report on the human rights situation today, a serious wake-up call for those who think everything is okay in the country.
Mozambique: Citizen mobilization to help flood victims
After heavy rains and flooding in southern Mozambique that has displaced tens of thousands and killed scores of people, Mozambican civil society group Makobo has started a solidarity campaign called “S.O.S. Chókwè” to collect humanitarian supplies to deliver to victims.
Guinean Journalist Mysteriously Disappears in Angola
Where is Milocas Pereira? The question echoes through social networks on the disappearance, six months ago, of the journalist and university professor in the Angolan capital city Luanda, where she has lived since 2004. On the Internet a petition directed to the UN High Commission of Human Rights has been launched.
Angola: Comedic Complaints About Stereotypes, Cost of Living
Delvino Funetii, Angola's young video blogger who has been entertaining people for a year on Youtube, posted his first video in English. He first complains about stereotypes of African men as repair superheroes, and goes into a diatribe about the sudden price increase of his neighbor's cakes by four times....
New Twists in the Political Crisis in São Tomé & Príncipe
One week after a censure measure by opposition parties passed in Parliament against the minority government of São Tomé and Principe, the President formally removed the government. Online reactions took no time at all, in the midst of the storm that threatens the political stability of the country.
Africa: Online culture magazine crowdfunds to print special issue
Buala, an online magazine on culture in contemporary Africa, is crowdfunding to finance its first print edition next year. In existence for two years, publishing over 900 articles by over 300 contributors, Buala has had over 430,000 hits. With versions in French, English and Portuguese, it attempts to present a...
Political crisis in São Tomé and Principe
In recent days, São Tomé and Principe has plunged into a political crisis situation involving a motion to censure the government, scenes of fist fighting in the National Assembly, and a mass protest calling for early elections.
Brazil: Northeastern audience moved by musical biopic
After much anticipation, Brazilian film “Gonzaga: De Pai Para Filho” about legendary musician Luiz Gonzaga has been moving audiences, and nowhere more than in the country's northeast where forró music is a part of life. Brazilian film blogger Chico Fireman shares his personal experience [pt] watching the film.
Brazilian Court Suspends Eviction Order of Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá
The mass online mobilization that followed an appeal from the Guaraní-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue in Mato Grosso do Sul gave crucial support to their struggle to resist expulsion from their lands. In late October, the Brazilian courts decided to suspend their eviction order. However, the struggle continues until their lands are officially demarcated.
Strike Across Southern Europe
November 14 witnessed the first strike of its kind, including all the southern European countries most affected by austerity and financial crisis. Events were covered by citizens on the street in realtime, including acts of solidarity, creativity, and reports of police brutality.
Guinea-Bissau: More citizen frustration with turmoil
Buala blog shared a message circulating via email by Moema Parente Augel e Johannes Augel [Pt] raising international awareness about the “abusive and illegal regime” in Guinea-Bissau and what they deem to be an attempted counter-coup on October 21. IT specialist Gabriel Vaz also shared his dissatisfaction with turmoil in his...
Guinea-Bissau: Citizen Frustration and Defiance in Face of Turmoil
On October 21, a violent incident occurred at an airbase outside Bissau. Six people were reported killed, and gruesome images of bodies of accused assailants circulated on the internet. While the international institutions express "concern" and conduct meetings, the people of Guinea-Bissau have little outlet for their fears and frustrations.
