Global Voices » Solana Larsen

Online Chat with Angelina Jolie About Bosnian War Film

Solana Larsen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:10:49 +0000

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, will be answering questions in a live online chat on January 12, 2012 (8pm EST) about the new film she wrote and directed about the Bosnian war, “In the Land of Blood and Honey”. Questions can be submitted in advance on the Facebook page for the film.

Competition to Develop Low-Cost Water Purification Device

Solana Larsen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:44:22 +0000

Inventors, designers, entrepreneurs from developing countries are invited by the University of South Florida's Patel Center to submit ideas for the creation of a “Smart Pot” that can purify water easily and has a similar shape as a traditional jerrycan. Winning proposals will receive up to $8,000 plus the opportunity to compete for a grand prize of $100,000.

Global Voices Most Read Posts in 2011

Solana Larsen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:46:50 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Global Voices in 2011.

Our top 20 list of most read posts on Global Voices for 2011 includes four from Japan, three from Egypt, and two from the Philippines. But only one story is about a giant crocodile!

It's been an incredible year for the reach and recognition of citizen media around the world, and that means Global Voices is no longer as lonely a media voice when it comes to reporting tweets and blog posts. Still, where mainstream media interest wanes, we're the ones who strive to continue documenting what local bloggers everywhere need the world to know.

Self Defence Forces arrive at the scene of the tsunami in Japan. Image by cosmobot, copyright Demotix (13/03/11).

Some of our proudest moments of 2011 will never be reflected on a top 20 list like the one below. This year we exceeded 500 active volunteer authors and translators of countless languages and countries, and we've published more than 2,600 long posts and 6,300 short ones in English alone.

Inevitably, many of the stories that don't get as wide a readership as they deserve are from countries that tend to be overlooked in international media. Unique coverage from across Africa, the Caucasus, Macedonia, the Russian language Internet, Latin America and indigenous rights are among some of the highlights. See the 2011 regional reviews by our editors and authors for a glance of what you may have missed.

Our Middle East and North Africa team deserves special mention this year. Throughout protests, blackouts, threats, they have managed to pull though and keep writing. The bloody images still proliferate, but our authors seek out constructive voices and angles for dialogue. So often, they've shared local humor and context that is difficult to appreciate from abroad without a guide.

Perhaps for the first time ever, China doesn't figure on our top 20 list of the year. These are particularly chilling times to blog about controversial subjects - something Global Voices authors in many other countries unfortunately also experience. This makes the stories that do come from anywhere free speech is frowned on even more precious.

Most read posts on Global Voices in 2011

Our most visited special coverage pages were:

In 2011 the world has learned more about the transformative power of online citizen media. We believe the best way to support these emerging voices on a global scale is to listen. Thanks for reading Global Voices! And please consider supporting our work with a donation.

This post is part of our special coverage Global Voices in 2011.

United Kingdom: Video from Hitchens' 1999 U.S. Book Tour

Solana Larsen — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:22:05 +0000

“Hitch Hike” is a 53-min documentary by Palash Davé about British writer Christopher Hitchens’ 1999 U.S. tour promoting his book about Bill Clinton. The full film is available for viewing on Vimeo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Hitchens died on December 15, 2011.

Mexico: Applications Open for The School of Authentic Journalism 2012

Solana Larsen — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:22:24 +0000

Narco News are accepting applications in English and Spanish until December 28, 2011 from media makers, journalists, bloggers, and activists from any country for The School of Authentic Journalism. This is an annual workshop on journalism, media and civil resistance movements. The 2012 session will be taking place in Mexico from March 21-31, 2012.

United States: What Your Kids Talk About on Facebook

Solana Larsen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:41:43 +0000

For the online exhibition “Voices of Motherhood” by the International Museum of Women, Kathy Halper in the U.S. was inspired by the experience of “friending” her own daughter on Facebook to embroider copies of photos posted by teenagers on the social network. The embroideries show drunken parties, sexual innuendo, and raunchy humor.

Europe: What Facebook Knows About You

Solana Larsen — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:04:34 +0000

Max Schrems, a 24 year-old law student in Austria, requested all the data Facebook holds on him, and eventually received a CD with more than 1,200 pages, including private messages he had deleted. Max has now filed a data protection complaint in Ireland - where Facebook's European subsidiary is based - and launched a campaign website, Europe vs. Facebook (see video).

Collecting Audio of UN Human Rights Declaration in 370 Languages

Solana Larsen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:16:44 +0000

United_Sounds on SoundCloud is compiling the largest collection of audio recordings of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in more than 370 languages. If you speak a language they don't yet have, you can submit an audio recording - the UN has probably already translated, you just have to read it out loud.

Sounds of the European Podcast Award

Solana Larsen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:51:21 +0000

The European Podcast Award has its own podcast featuring winners and nominees. The podcast is produced by Karin Høgh from Denmark and Dave Thackeray from the UK. The Global Voices Podcast is is one of more than 1,500 shows nominated (voting ends November 30).

Food Around the World on Blog Action Day 2011

Solana Larsen — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:55:06 +0000

Every year since 2007, Blog Action Day has united bloggers from around the world in talking about one global issue. Collectively, the thousands of bloggers participating have an audience of millions. And this year on October 16, 2011 they talked about food. See live updates on who is posting here.

Blog Action Day coincided with World Food Day, and many chose to discuss the rise in food prices and global hunger. Here on Global Voices, Juliana Rincón has posted citizen videos on hunger from different countries.

Other Global Voices authors have participated in their own blogs too.

Mexico

Andrea Arzaba from Mexico chose to share some photos from a local food market in Coyoacán, Mexico City on her blog One Lucky Life — reminding her readers that Mexican cuisine was declared an “Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO last year.

Coyoacán food market, Mexico City by Andrea Arzaba

Madagascar

Radifera Ranaivoson Maminirina of Global Voices in Malagasy chose to write about “an incredible food product” from Madagascar that is consumed all around the world, even by astronauts in Space.

I chose to talk about one special Malagasy product, 100% natural, but can compete with medicines and pharmaceuticals produced by devceloped countries.

It's called Spirulina, and it's an edible seaweed, used in many food supplements. Read more about the virtues of Spirulina in Malagasy or in English (thanks to Candy for translating).

Macedonia

Global Voices author Filip Stojanovski in Macedonia is keeping an eye on Macedonian blogs that have signed up to participate in Blog Action Day. He has also shared photos on his blog Razvigor :-) from Bunjakovec food market in Skopje, Macedonia (see also in Macedonian).

Fish for sale at Bunjakovec food market in Skopje, Macedonia. Photo by Filip Stojanovski

Germany

Global Voices in German editor, Katrin Zinoun writes about how food brings people from different cultures together in her blog, dialogtexte.

… it is of no importance, whether the strangers who share a meal belong to different religions or political camps or are even enemies in war. One thing they always have in common: they have to eat. And eating together is connecting people.

So, enjoy your meal! At best with a stranger.

Did you blog about food too?

Depending on your time zone, it's not too late to join Blog Action Day with a post of your own. Feel free to share your links in the comments if you'd like us to take a look.

This year's Blog Action Day is organized by The Voice Project which connects bloggers with important political events through NGO partners. Follow #BAD11 on Twitter!

Afghanistan: Theater for Social Change

Solana Larsen — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 10:36:26 +0000

Kayhan Irani, an award-winning writer and “artivist” from New York, blogs about her experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan training theater groups in the theory and practice of theater for social change.

Global: Interview on NATO's Evolution

Solana Larsen — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:00:43 +0000

We Magazine's Ulrike Reinhard interviews NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Stefanie Babst on video about the “we” in their work, and how NATO has evolved over time as an organization - touching on globalization, gender equality, multi-national defense spending, political leadership and communication.

Nigeria: Does Terrorism Pay Better Than Farming?

Solana Larsen — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:02:38 +0000

Activista Blogger, David Habba in Nigeria struck up conversation with a student from the University of Agriculture in Makurdi, who no longer feels financially motivated to enter the agricultural sector. “Someone must grow the food and who says it must be me?”

Kenya: “One of Africa's Biggest Slums is My Home”

Solana Larsen — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:35:01 +0000

On the ActionAid blog Bollocks to Poverty, citizen journalist and Activista blogger Collins Odhiambo explains what it's like to come from one of Africa's largest slums, Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. “Just because I’m from Kibera doesn’t mean I’m lesser,” he writes.

Denmark: No Voting Rights for Danes Abroad

Solana Larsen — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:14:24 +0000

Since many Danish citizens living abroad are not eligible to vote in the upcoming election in Denmark on September 15, 2011 the Danes Abroad Business Group Online (DAGBO) hosted an informal online election poll for their members. Seventy percent of those questioned said loss of voting rights negatively affects their interest in Danish politics.