Stories from Quick Reads and Video
Relatives of Russian drafted soldiers weep: ‘They were abandoned, like dogs…’
Relatives testify that recently drafted soldiers do not have food or water, cannot go back from a battle through Russian block posts, and cannot refuse to go to the front.
Moroccan Royal Motorcade Runs Down By-Stander
Moroccans are sharing links for a video showing a car which is part of a royal motorcade ferrying Moroccan King Mohammed VI running over a man in Tangiers during the visit of French President Francois Hollande. Samia Errazzouki tweets: Video footage showing royal security protocol running over a man in...
Documentary ‘Too Black To Be French’ Wants to Start an Honest Conversation on Race in France
“Too Black to Be French” is a documentary made by Isabelle Boni-Claverie, a French-Ivorian writer and filmmaker. Boni-Claverie's goal is to provide unexplored ideas and start a conversation on French society's inequalities and discrimination. The documentary includes commentary and analyses from renowned Francophone thinkers such as Eric Fassin, Pap Ndiaye, Achille Mbembe, Patrick...
Introducing Swaziland’s Most Prominent Poetry Movement
Sabelo Mkhabela blogs about Swaziland's growing poetry movement: Swazi poet and visionary Themba Mavuso speaks with a humble, unrehearsed tone. He looks nothing like a poet – his hair is neatly combed and he spots a corporate office-ready white shirt and black chinos. Adding street to his attire is a...
Former French Defense Minister Finds Excuses for the Alleged Rape of Central African Children by French Soldiers
Afrique Info reports that JP Chevènement, a former defense minister of France, stated on public radio Europe 1 on May 3 that the challenging conditions that French soldiers face in the Central African Republic could explain “behavior of that kind” (see video above). Chevènement was referring to the allegation of child...
Malawian Film Helps Farmers Cope With Climate Change
“Mbeu Yosintha” was made to help farmers and rural communities cope with the effects of climate change, in particular the ever changing rain patterns in South East Africa. The film is a drama using local actors and was devised with Malawian writer Jonathan Mbuna following extensive research with various agricultural...
Another Shark Attack Claims a Teenage Surfer on Reunion Island, Post-Attack Policy in Effect
A 13-year-old boy was killed by a shark on April 12 near Les Aigrettes on Reunion island. Elio Canestri was a promising surfer and a member of the local surfing club. The local community is shocked by the tragic news. A Facebook page was set up to commemorate his life, with...
‘Western Women Don't Care If They Are Raped on the Roadside,’ Says Saudi Historian
Saudi historian Dr Saleh Al-Saadoon says women in the West drive because they “don't care if they get raped on the roadside.” He made the remarks in an interview with Rotana Khalijia, a Saudi-owned television channel aimed at Gulf countries, in his defense of a Saudi prohibition that bans women...
Photos and Video of Sierra Leone’s 3 Day Lock Down
Michael Duff shares eyewitness accounts of Sierra Leone's 3 day lock down that was introduced to fight ebola: Sierra Leoneans can breathe a sigh of relief today as citizens in the capital city and in the North of the country who were under a 3 day government mandated stay at...
Video: Campaign to Stop the Sale of Steve Biko's Autopsy Report
Artist and social entrepreneur Nomsa Mazwai (Nomisupasta) and some friends got together to collect signatures for a petition to stop the sale of Steve Biko‘s autopsy report. Watch the YouTube video of the campaign:
Gun Attack Kills 5 in Bamako as Mali Tries to Consolidate Peace
A shooting in a restaurant in Bamako, capital city of Mali, claimed the lives of five people on Friday night, March, 6. The attack took place around midnight in a restaurant called La Terrasse in Downtown Bamako and a dozen people are seriously injured. Two suspects are in detention and...
Film: The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo
The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo is a film by filmmaker Yaba Badoe: The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo, explores the artistic contribution of one of Africa's foremost women writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting new talent. This feature-length documentary charts Ama Ata Aidoo's creative journey in...
Film: A Ugandan Transgender Girl Fights for Her Right to Love
Rough Studios, a small Swedish production company, has released the first episode of a documentary series about being transgender in Uganda: We enter the life of Cleopatra Kambugu, a Ugandan transgender girl who was forced to flee to Kenya after being “outed” as homosexual in one of Uganda's major tabloids....
Video: Amazon Indigenous Tribe Protests Hydroelectric Dam Construction
Indigenous people from the Munduruku ethnic group are fighting against the construction of the São Luiz do Tapajós dam in the state of Pará, Brazil. The dam will mean the flooding of 700,000 km2 in their homeland. The Brazilian Federal Government plans to build up to five dams in the Tapajós...
#ISurvivedEbola Campaign Releases First Video
The #ISurvivedEbola campaign has released its first video that feature Ebola survivors from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The multimedia campaign engages Ebola survivors to highlight stories of hope and resilience: This is the first video in a series that will be rolled out as part of #ISurvivedEbola, a multidimensional...
‘Grito de Guerra’, a Cumbia Composed to Fund the Family of #Ayotzinapa Victims
Mexican artist Michelle Solano composed a cumbia, "Grito de Guerra", to raise funds to support the family of the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa.
Video: Imprisoned Swazi Lawyer Speaks Through Human Rights Activists
#swazijustice is a campaign calling for the release of Bheki Makhubu, editor of the Nation magazine and Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer, who were jailed in Swaziland for two years for writing an article critical of the judiciary in the country. The two were arrested on 17 March, 2014...
Fighting Malnutrition in Rwanda With Music
Rwanda’s top musicians King James, Miss Jojo, Riderman, Tom Close, and Urban Boyz join the fight against malnutrition in Rwanda with a YouTube music video. The video is also available with Swahili subtitles.
Hacking Against Ebola
Global Editors Network intends to develop new technologies and social networks for covering and preventing the Ebola epidemic from spreading. Watch the YouTube video below for more information about the project: Follow our in-depth coverage: The Struggle to #StopEbola in West Africa
Six Hong Kong Police Officers Kick and Punch a Handcuffed Protester in a Dark Corner
Last night at 9:30pm, around 300 hundred protesters attempted to set up new barricade in Long Wo Road, near the government headquarter at Admiralty. Riot police took action to disperse protesters and arrested 45 of them. The process was brutal. The TV news showed that one of the protesters, identified...
Animated Video Dispels Ebola Myths
Ebola: A Poem for the Living (English) from United Methodist Communications on Vimeo. United Methodist Communications, Chocolate Moose Media and iheed have collaborated to produce an animated video for use in West Africa that helps dispel myths about how Ebola is spread and promotes prevention of the disease. United Methodist...
