Stories about Youth from May, 2009
Syria: Campaign to boycott telecom companies and demand lower rates begins
Cellular networks were licensed to operate in Syria in 2001 and ever since day one, the media echoed the customers' discontent with service rates. Syrian bloggers decided they have had enough, so they organized a boycott campaign against mobile carriers that will take place on June 1.
Go Farm, Young Man! – How Farming in Japan is Changing
For a country that identifies strongly as being historically agricultural people, the landscape of Japan's agricultural sector is bleak, and has been for some time. Simply put, the workforce is rapidly aging and there aren't nearly enough successors. The price of rice has gone down, and structural reform is unlikely...
Russia: Bloggers’ Memories of Soviet Maternity Hospitals
Last year, Sinisa Boljanovic translated a number of heartrending childbirth stories, written anonymously by Serbian women and posted on the "Mother Courage" award-winning site, launched and maintained by Serbian blogger Branka Stamenkovic/Krugolina Borup. This month, LJ user germanych, a Russian blogger, asked his readers to share experiences of giving birth in the Soviet Union. While Branka Stamenkovic's "Mother Courage" initiative is an attempt to change the situation for the better, the Russian blogger's goal has been to document a lesser-known chapter of the Soviet history.
Egypt: Anti-Male Circumcision Campaign
In 2008 Egypt passed a law that banned female circumcision (FGM). Today a group of bloggers started a campaign against male circumcision. Marwa Rakha picks up the story in this post.
Jamaica, Cuba: Amnesty International Report
Iriegal and Jamaica Salt comment on Amnesty International’s criticism of the Jamaican police force, while Havana Times notes that the organization”recognized…that the US blockade on Cuba has a negative effect on the general population.”
Serbia: Torture or Therapy?
Last week, on May 21, a short film about torture in the Spiritual Rehabilitation Center "Crna Reka," located in south-western Serbia, was shown on the web site of Vreme, a Serbian weekly magazine. The patients of this center are drug addicts and its head is Branislav Peranovic, a Serbian Orthodox priest. Nearly all Serbian media have shown the horrible scenes from the short film, in which Peranovic is shown beating one of the patients brutally with a spade and with his fists. Sinisa Boljanovic reviews Serbian bloggers' responses.
Peru: Freezing Temperatures in Puno Result in Children Deaths
While much of Peru and the media has been discussing the 16 confirmed individuals with AH1N1 virus, very little has been mentioned about the 133 children that have recently died as a result of the freezing temperatures affecting the southern part of the country. Bloggers have been noting this difference in coverage, and have been criticizing the lack of planning by local and national governments for what has been become an annual tragedy.
Guyana, St. Lucia: Child Dies in Car
Guyanese blogger Imran Khan draws attention to the curious circumstances surrounding the death of a toddler in St. Lucia.
India: Perspectives on Growing up in India
Thanks to the Adobe Youth Voices program, young people in different parts of the world are having the opportunity to experiment with audiovisual equipment and tell their stories from their perspective. Such is the case in India, where youth from many different schools and slums have been making videos to show the world that surrounds them and their concerns.
Trinidad & Tobago: Is It Art?
From Trinidad and Tobago, the bookmann reviews the exhibition of the 2009 graduating class of Visual Arts Unit of The University of the West Indies.
Singapore: Annual reading initiative
The National Library Board of Singapore launched READ! Singapore 2009, a nationwide reading initiative that aims to promote a culture of reading among Singaporeans
Suicide cases in Singapore
Reports show that suicide is one of the top causes of death among Singapore youth.
Malaysia: Yuna Changes the Face of Indie Music
In recent years more and more independent musicians are gaining popularity thanks to social networking websites such as YouTube and MySpace. Meet Yuna from Malaysia. She is the talk of the local blogosphere for not only producing great music but also her wholesome image. She causes a stir, in a positive way, in the indie music scene for wearing the tudung, a scarf worn around the head by women in Malaysia.
Lebanon: Porn-oriented Ads
Maya's Amalgam is a new blog by Maya Zankoul, a graphic designer, in which she uses drawings and cartoons to make witty comments about her daily observations and experiences in Lebanon, like this one about billboard ads which she calls “street porn”.
Jamaica: Calabash & Language
Annie Paul blogs about Jamaica's Calabash Literary Festival, at which some folks were offended by the colourful language in authors’ readings: “Does shielding young ears from words like pussy, bombaclaat, pumpum and other such words ensure a more sensitive, ethical adult? Especially when they can see for themselves the hypocritical,...
Morocco: When Arabs Rock
Usually at this time of the year in Morocco, a series of festivals and cultural events that mark the eminence of the summer begin. They are annual gatherings that attract a growing number of artists, local and international alike. This year is no exception.
Kuwait: Cinema Censorship, Quality Woes and Limited Telecom Services
Following the Kuwaiti elections and all the previous political drama, bloggers are now focusing their energies on entertainment and technology posts, with Cinescape, the Kuwaiti national cinema company monopoly, taking the brunt of the criticism from younger viewers due to quality control and censorship woes. Also in this post, a blogger laments the limited telecom services available in the country.
Japan: Children's Day
At Hi, I am Ruther, a travel blog about Japan, two posts (Koinobori and Kabuto and Kashiwamochi) describe [en] some customs and festivals related to the Children`s Day (子供の日, kodomo no hi), celebrated on May 5th.
South Korea: Banning Suicide
To counter growing group suicides in the nation, the South Korea government decided to ban keywords related to suicide and block access to Web sites. More from Gusts of Popular Feeling
Philippines: Storytelling for Hunger Awareness
A few years ago, a short film won the public's approval at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival, and to this day, it is still making its rounds through internet, raising awareness on poverty and hunger. Chicken Ala Carte by Ferdinand Dimadura is one of the videos we bring you today about hunger past, present and future.
Palestine: Family Fun?
In the West Bank, Samuel Nichols notes: “Parents taking a Friday afternoon walk carrying their newborn is cute. Parents taking a Friday afternoon walk carrying their newborn (with an M-16 slung over the father's shoulder while intimidating Palestinian farmers) is disconcerting and scary.”
