-When did you start writing for Global Voices?
I joined GV in April 2007, after meeting Boris Anthony [the original designer of the GV website] in Tokyo who told me that the site needed authors to cover the Japanese blogosphere and so I started writing about it. A couple of months later, I decided to start translating Global Voices content in Japanese as well, and now we are a team of 4-regular translators that make the Japanese Lingua site possible.

The last year and a half at Global Voices has been totally crazy. Things just happened. I arrived at the Summit in Budapest not knowing what to expect and all of a sudden I found myself in the middle of all these crazy people. It was probably the strangest experience I've ever had, in a very positive way. For example, I had never met anybody from Macedonia, or from Kazakhstan, or from many other places. I have lots of things to digest.

-What has been your most memorable blogging experience with GV?
A year ago I wrote a post about the Tokyo pride parade and a few of the bloggers that I quoted discovered each other's blogs thanks to the post. Also, a Chinese gay person left a comment in one of the blogs I quoted saying how great it was that there was a pride parade in Tokyo because in China that wouldn't be possible, and I thought it was really nice that these two people from different countries connected thanks to the post on Global Voices. Later on, I also got an email from one of the blogs I quoted saying that he was going to publish a book titled “Coming out letters”, a compilation of letters exchanged between LGTB students and their teachers and parents, and I wrote about it on Global Voices.

-How would you describe the Japanese blogosphere?
It's divided into very small independent blogospheres, for example the LGTB community which is very strong and even organizes meetings and off-line events. Or the tech community, the political community, etc. But the thing is that these blogospheres are not connected. The Japanese blogosphere is very big, probably the largest in the world, but at the end of the day is just a collection of smaller blogospheres.

There was an article in the Washington Post a few months ago titled Humble giants on the web,which was saying that although the Japanese blogosphere is the largest in the world according to Technorati, blogs are basically personal diaries -the ones that talk about what the authors ate, who they went out with, etc. But that's not really true because if you speak Japanese and search blogs on any topic you'll find a really active blogosphere. There's a sterotype about Japanese people being apolitical, not caring about anything, but that's not true in the blogosphere. I think that Japanese people are not good at expressing themselves verbally, but they are good writers. We have a culture of diary writing, and that creates a really good combination with blogging.

-What about your blog, what is it about?
I have one in English and one in Japanese, both called Mamachari, but I haven't written much lately. I still haven't figured out what to write about, but one of the things that interests me is biking. I always bike everywhere, I live in Tokyo and I don't have a driver's license -I could take the bus to go places, but I prefer biking. Another activity I like is gardening, or actually playing with dirt and plants as I don't have a garden. I call it niwa hacking (niwa means garden in Japanese). I grew up in the countryside surrounded by fileds, but now I live in Tokyo, where the space is limited. So out of frustration I take any little patch of soil that I can find and I plant something in it. [She even invented a watering device for her plants when she's travelling!]

I also like taking pictures of cats in the street, although I'm allergic to them, and of three-way junctions :)

-What do you do in the off-Global Voices life?
I'm a professional translator, I'm translating all day long.

-What is your wish for the future of the Global Voices site in Japanese and for the coverage of Japan by Global Voices?
I lived in Canada for 5 years and I became really frustrated with the way media portrayed Japan. The only stories they publish on Japan involve some weird or kinky stuff, or topics such as manga or tech gadgets. But Japan is not only about highly political issues or unusual sexual interests. 125 million people live in this country, and they each have their life to live, so there's a lot more to Japan. So I would like to contribute to telling the world that there are a lot of different stories about Japan.

Her name is Elena Ignatova, she's a 24 year old internet activist from Skopje, and we had the chance to meet her in the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Budapest, where she acted as a true ambassador of her country with many participants who had never met anyone from Macedonia. We talked a bit to her about her work, her involvement with Global Voices and the Macedonian blogosphere, among other things. Keep on reading.

Elena with Mialy, GV author for Madagascar, Cristina of Voces Bolivianas and Catalina of Hiperbarrio (Photo by Sipakoa)

-How did you decide to start translating Global Voices posts?
I went to a conference in Zagreb and I met Alice Backer there who was presenting Lingua and was asking for more volunteers to translate. I had never heard about Global Voices before, but I found it very interesting. So after a few more conversations with her I decided to start translating Global Voices into Macedonian and Albanian.

When I found out about the project I immediately thought it would enrich the Macedonian and Albanian online content with interesting information, coming from the people and not from the media. On the other hand, it's also a great way to tell the world what is happening here.

-Ambitious intentions!
At first I was thinking about starting only a Macedonian Lingua site, but then many people suggested that it would be great to have it in Albanian as well, so I decided to do both with the help of my colleagues from work.

-So when did you start and how many people are involved with these two sites?
We started translating in January this year, and the official launch of the sites was a month later. At the moment we are four translators for Macedonian and only one for Albanian. I would like to find more volunteers, but it's always hard to convince people to volunteer their time and to keep them motivated.

-How is the blogosphere in Macedonia, and what are the main issues that concern them?
It's quite active for such a small country (Macedonia has 2 million inhabitants), I think there are more than 200 posts a day on average. The main issues bloggers talk about are national politics, NATO, Greece :).

Maybe these have been the hot issues lately because we had early parliamentary elections and because of all the problem with Greece, so most posts were about these topics for the last few months. But now when things are cooling down, they are writing more about everyday things and their personal interests.

-Are you a blogger yourself?
No, I'm just a blog reader. With my work, studies, translating for GV, etc. I really don't have time! I'm very active in other social media such as Facebook, but after the GV Summit in Budapest I'm seriously thinking of starting one :)

-What are your favorite blogs?
There a lot of interesting ones, but if someone wants to read something from the Macedonian blogosphere, they can visit the platform that connects most of the bloggers Blogeraj.

-So what do you do when you're not translating?
I work for an independent, non-partisan NGO called Metamorphosis. Its main goals are the development of democracy and prosperity by promoting a knowledge-based economy and an information society in Macedonia. We are doing all sorts of things, like working with Creative Commons Macedonia, promoting the use of internet, privacy issues etc. My involvement with Global Voices is also part of my work with Metamorphosis.

-Why do you think it's important to increase access to internet and to online media?
It’s important for people to get the information’s they need. With internet and online media it’s very easy to get to everything you want, and much quicker. For students, it's essential to use the internet as a resource, but that applies also to all people.

-What do you do in your spare time?
I'm studying computer science, majoring in internet and mobile technologies

-What is your wish for the future of the Macedonian and Albanian Lingua sites?
That they both get connected, so that you know when a post translated in Macedonian is also transalted in Albanian and viceversa. It is essential for people in Macedonia to know about the Albanian version, to give them an alternative.

If you are a speaker of either Macedonian and Albanian and would like to be part of their fantastic teams, or if you would just like to contribute somehow, please contact Elena at elenaignatova [at] gmail [dot] com

Your current blog, solanasaurus, dates back to 2006. When did you first get involved in blogging?

I first started blogging in 2004 or 2005 when I was an editor with openDemocracy.net. We launched a blog called oD Today, which continues today. My favorite blogging adventures for openDemocracy included blogging from the World Social Forum and from the United Nations. But my major epiphany came in June 2005 when we launched a blog called IranScan 1384 about the Iranian presidential election (the one where President Ahmadinejad was elected to everyone's surprise). Some tremendous Iranian bloggers reported daily in English, and there was tons of media interest. It was very gratifying to provide a different media perspective than, “Bush says Iran has nuclear weapons, should the United States invade?” The local political angles were far more thoughtful and interesting.

I started my own blog sort of late in the game. I think my motivation was mainly professional, but I've kept it goofy enough that it still feels personal. It's really nice to have a place to say what I think. I have a second blog in Danish together with my father Dan Larsen called Blogbyblog.dk. We write about internet, media, and technology.

You joined Global Voices in June, 2007. What drew you to Global Voices?

IranScan used to get linked on Global Voices, which was great. Imagine my thrill when Georgia Popplewell once linked to a post I wrote on Solanasaurus about Cuba. Later that day it showed up quoted on Slate!

Ever since Global Voices started I really wanted to be involved. I can honestly say it was (and is) one of my favorite websites. Personally, I think a lot of the really bad decisions that get made in politics have to do with people being incapable of imagining themselves in the position of people who are different from them. The more we listen, translate, and try to reach understanding, the less people can refuse to care.

When I still worked for openDemocracy, I once emailed Rebecca MacKinnon in 2005 to ask whether Global Voices wanted to help organize a blogging workshop at the World Social Forum in Venezuela. Both Rebecca and David Sasaki (who was Americas Editor at the time), were very helpful in putting me in touch with Venezuelan bloggers. In the end, I sort of ended up going solo. But it meant a lot to have Global Voices as a network to lean on.

What does it feel like working with the entire world every day?

It feels wonderful. I couldn't imagine a more enjoyable job, with more dedicated and exciting people in my email inbox.

You're known amongst GVers as being cool, calm, and collected. What gets you angry?

Ha, it's nice to be known as cool and calm. It's definitely rare for me to lose my temper, but on the other hand I think I can be pretty stubborn. Of course, I can find plenty of things to curse about in the newspaper every day. The things that anger me are often the ones I end up writing about. I find human injustice very infuriating, and I am driven by an irrationally positive urge to try to help change them.

On the contrary, what excites you as a journalist?

I like to write about politics, activism, and technology.

What is your day-to-day life like?

I'm usually at the computer before I even have coffee. I usually work from home in Brooklyn, but there are several cafés in the neighborhood with free wireless internet that I like to go as well. I send billions of emails every day, and usually have at least one or two meetings a week around the city. I travel a lot between New York and Europe, so it's great to have a job I can take with me. In the evenings, I try to get out of the house and see as many friends as possible.

Tell me about PuertoDansk, of which you are president and founder.

PuertoDansk (The Danish Puerto Rican Society) is an association for the “ethnically confused”. I'm Danish-Puerto Rican myself, and I wanted to create a group that celebrates bringing different cultures together in unusual ways. You don't have to be Danish or Puerto Rican to become a member. In fact all people who join online are free to call themselves Danish-Puerto Ricans, no matter where they're originally from.

I hear that you're famous in Denmark - is it true?

Um, no. But I am an elevator.

Tell me about Global Voices' new developments.

I can't believe how much the community has grown in the past year. We now have more than 100 volunteer authors, 15 different language versions of Global Voices, and get mentioned in the mainstream media nearly once a week. Rising Voices is going to be announcing another round of micro-grant funding for new blogging projects soon. And we are expecting around 200 people to participate in our Summit in Budapest at the end of June. Mostly it's all good news. This community rocks. Global Voices isn't just a website, but a magnet for of some of the most energetic internet activists in the world.

In what direction do you see Global Voices heading over the next few years?

Well, that's for all of us to decide together. But my personal goal is to help us grow our audience bigger and reach out to mainstream media journalists more effectively. In the future, I think the different regional sections of Global Voices will operate more independently with their various translation partners. Organizationally, it's a big challenge grow bigger and at the same time remain decentralized, flexible, and welcoming, without compromising on quality.

In terms of where the community as a whole is headed, we see citizen media activists breaking communication barriers in their countries every day - spreading more news, using different technologies, taking more control of how people see their regions and politics. It's exhilarating to watch it happen, and yet you still get the sense that this whole thing is only just getting started. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Finally, what's up with all the dinosaurs?

They're irresistibly ferocious.

Today's Blogger of the Week series takes us to the heart of the Balkans, where we chat with Global Voices author for Serbia Ljubiša Bojić (pronounced Lyu-bi-sha Bo-yich) about blogging, politics and citizen journalism in Serbia.

Aged 24 and a graduate in journalism, Ljubiša Bojić is an enthusiast of new media:

Currently I'm writing a book about web journalism and digital marketing that I intend to publish in English. I am also in advertising, working as a creative director, mainly doing copy writing. I am interested in great stories and how to make them. It annoys me to see so so much wasted human potential.

Being so passionate about journalism and digitial media, it is not surprising to hear that he started blogging (in Serbian) quite a few years ago:

I have been blogging since 1999. NATO aggression against Serbia motivated me to blog. There was a platform called “Beograd.com”. Many individuals across the country used to inform the community about the state of alert (where the planes came from and what they bombed, etc.). This website marked the beginning of citizen journalism in Serbia. I am proud that I was part of it.

Then, in August 2006, while doing an internship in Hong Kong, Ljubiša started a blog in English to reach a broader audience and “to contribute to the understanding between Serbia and the rest of the world”. In one of his first posts, he wrote a little story about a recurring topic in his blog - corruption:

Here I am on a plane headed to Belgrade. Behind me one Serbian man and a Armenian lady start a conversation. What a better topic to kick off a chat than with corruption issues. Man tells her what he encountered when he was awaiting flight in Moscow. Apparently lady at the counter asked him for bribe when he needed a wheelchair to use it around the airport as he was recovering from a medical operation at the time. On the other side, a Chinese-looking lady tells him about police asking her for bribe in her homeland. They go on and on about corruption. What a beautiful way to connect people. I think they were slowly getting in love while we were getting closer to Belgrade.

However, because of his work and all the projects that he's involved in, Ljubiša says that lately he hasn't had as much time to blog as he used to:

My English blog is pretty messy because, currently I store links and some citations there. Originally I wanted to communicate with the world. But now, because of intensive workload, the only way I manage to keep that connection is by sharing links which inspire me.

Besides his personal blog in English he also blogs in Serbian for the official blog for the Strengths of Serbia Movement “to project a new image of the organization that will get to the citizens' souls”. There he talks about human rights and political issues such as the following:

In my opinion, our government did great injustice against a politician who won 19% of vote at presidential elections in 2004. They marked him as a criminal, so he had to leave Serbia. His name is Bogoljub Karić, and my cause is to establish strong institutions in our society, so ruling politicians could never abuse power.

In 2006, at around the same time he started his blog in English, Ljubiša joined the Global Voices Online team as an author for Serbia and the Balkans after meeting co-founder Rebecca MacKinnon in Hong Kong:

It was sunny day and I was trying to get an interview from journalism professor for my documentary about media in Hong Kong. I talked to Ying Chan, head of Journalism and Media Studies Center at HKU. She told me about exciting thing going on around blogosphere - Global Voices Online. At that time, she was expecting arrival of a new professor to teach New Media. Guess who that was - Rebecca MacKinnon.

During his almost two years with Global Voices Ljubiša has written mostly about Serbian politics, such as Kosovo's independence or last january's presidential elections. But he has also introduced blogs from his home town (Kragujevac, in Serbia), has written about the situation of Roma people in Slovenia and the legalization of prostitution in Croatia, and has introduced many readers to the famous Bosnian pyramid and to the oldest blogger in the Balkans.

Ljubiša Bojić is also the founder of the Serbian Web Journalism School, a new media project that recently received a Rising Voices grant and that is also supported by the Serbian Journalist Association and the International University of Novi Pazar. He described in his blog what motivated him to start this project:

As the process of transition continues, the number of those who can't find job grows, here in central Serbia. This people need voice, at least. I decided to apply for Rising Voices grant in September to provide education, motivation and technology to individuals in need, so they can go online, tell their stories, establish contacts with some international organizations and maybe even get help. If nothing else, I am sure they will get moral support from communities of bloggers and news media from everywhere around the globe. They can share facts about corrupt privatization in Serbia, describe the way state treats them and talk about their human rights issues.

Another aspect of his Rising Voices project is contributing to the understanding between Serbian and Albanian youth from Serbia and Kosovo respectively:

Picture below shows Serb and Albanian youth talking how to connect and overcome difficulties that were created during centuries of hostility in southern province. I strongly believe young activist can make a difference. We need to come close, and do our best to boost economy. We would all love to live better and enter the EU. Why should we make conflicts and disagreement, when we can bond and interact.

Asked about the Serbian blogosphere, Ljubiša commented:

The Serbian blogosphere is diffused and small, because most of people hardly find time to blog something meaningful. Real hit among young generations is Facebook though. There are no real blogging stars except those public figures who post on B92 VIP. I consider limiting who can blog bad decision, so mortals use international blogging platforms, except one Serbian service (mojblog.co.yu).

He sees himself as a kind of bridge between different types of bloggers in Serbia:

One part of Serbian bloggers write about their day to day life, and there is no much politics. Others write politics exclusively. Part of them are patriotic, and the other part are oriented towards the European Union. So, our blogosphere is divided like our society. I am somewhere on the middle of this specter, so I can connect them. Ha ha ha.

And finally, we had to ask him about his most memorable blogging experience:

When the CNN said that NATO had bombed a military factory in my city (Kragujevac). That was in 1999. And that was actually a car production factory, Zastava. I blogged about the lie published by mainstream media. I think not so many people heard about it. But there was no GVO back then. I learned how media can be misused. That is how I came up with a media/political positivism theory.

Global Voices author for Uganda, Rebekah Heacock spent two weeks in the capital city Kampala back in 2006, and decided that she needed to return for a longer period of time. When she did, in addition to teaching at a local orphanage, Rebekah was program coordinator with the Global Youth Partnership for Africa (GYPA). The non-profit organization brings young people from the United States and Uganda together for conferences and activities. This experience provided the opportunity to see different sides of the country and brought many new experiences.

During the extended time in this new country, she began to blog. Her blog is called Jackfruity (read here about a description of the jackfruit). “I started writing about local politics and my experiences there as a way to process what I was doing, and then I started getting comments from Ugandan bloggers and reading their blogs. The diversity of the Ugandan blogs that she read was certainly interesting,” said Rebekah.

I love the blogging scene in Uganda. It's small compared to those in Kenya and Tanzania, which I think affords it a special sense of community. At the same time, it's wildly diverse — on any given day my Google Reader holds posts from an avowed communist, an archbishop, a local journalist, a creative writer, a university student and the wife of a development worker.

Regularly writing and reading other blogs led to starting to write for Global Voices Online in May 2007, when the previous author moved back to the United States. The entire process of finding a topic and discovering different viewpoints is also interesting, “You never really know what you're going to get, which makes writing regular round-ups both entertaining and challenging.”

The virtual exchange between bloggers and their readers would help strengthen the blogosphere, but a desire emerged to meet one another in person. Together with blogger Josh Goldstein, it led to the launch of a successful and regularly scheduled event called the Ugandan Bloggers Happy Hour.

Ugandan Bloggers Happy Hour started in January 2007 with a dozen bloggers, about half-and-half Ugandans and expats. I had no idea who would show up — I had sent invitations to all the bloggers I knew through comments on their blogs and had posted about it on my own blog, but other than that there was no plan.

We drank, talked politics and, if I remember correctly, discussed whether or not Philip Seymour Hoffman would make a good transvestite. I found out most of the Ugandans thought I was a black man, and we took a lot of pictures.

Since then, we've had somewhere between 10 and 25 people each month, plus a couple of lurkers — bloggers who have shown up across the street or in a different corner of the bar to check things out without revealing their identities, then later written about it on their blogs.

It's more like a big group of friends than anything formal; people mingle and move around and push tables together. I've had conversations about the Virginia Tech shootings, democracy, Montell Jordan and bootlegged DVDs. A discussion about hip-hop for social change prompted a field trip to a breakdance class, and a group of Danish documentary filmmakers came once to interview bloggers.

Now as Rebekah is back in the United States working as the web producer for a newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas, she is preparing to begin graduate work in the field of International Affairs at Columbia University in August of this year. Even though the midwest city seems a million miles away from the African capital, being able to continue to blog about Uganda helps Rebekah feel closer to the country where she had connected with so many people.

There's definitely a bit of disconnect, now that I'm back in Kansas. GChat and Facebook have been great ways to stay connected to the blogren, and I'm infinitely grateful to the online editors of the Daily Monitor and New Vision for publishing an RSS feed. Even though I'm less physically connected, writing has kept me intellectually and emotionally in touch with Uganda in a way that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Living abroad always presents new situations, sights, smells and sounds, and often take awhile to become accustomed to new surroundings, but having a place to express those experiences proved valuable. Rebekah is quite grateful that blogging added another dimension to the unique experience of living abroad.

Blogging in Uganda grounded me in a way that few other things did. It was a familiar act that took place in an unfamiliar world, and it was a way for me to process what I was seeing and how I was living. The interactions I had with Ugandan bloggers gave a context for my thoughts that I couldn't have gotten any other way. The slight anonymity afforded by the Internet allowed me to be more honest than I felt I could be with most of the Ugandans I met through my work, and the equally honest responses I got from many Ugandan bloggers challenged my perceptions and helped me refine my views.

Ugandan blogs provided an entirely different lens than international media or even local newspapers. I was able to see what Ugandans wanted me to see, as opposed to what Invisible Children (an American advocacy organization focused on the war in northern Uganda) or the New York Times wanted me to see. I think this is true of any country, and it's the biggest benefit of Global Voices, in my opinion.

The friends I've made among the Ugandan bloggers are some of the closest I have in the country, and staying in touch with them has kept me actively connected to Uganda.

Today's Blogger of the Week celebrates the work of Jillian C York, our Morocco author, and a regular contributor to Voices without Votes. A freelance writer, blogger, and author of a guidebook to Morocco, Jillian currently lives in Boston, US, after spending two memorable years in Meknes, Morocco, and continues to blog here. Her interests include writing, politics, music, and activism - as well as giving a voice to what citizen journalists are writing about. Here's our interview with Jillian, in which we hope to learn more about her:

What is your educational background?

I have a BA in Sociology from Binghamton University, US, where I also minored in theatre. I focused much of my studies on the sociology of the Middle East and North Africa, writing a thesis for my major on the perception of Arabs in American media. More than anything, I am grateful to my education because it's what brought me to Morocco in the first place. I took a summer Arabic program at Al Akhawayn University, then after returning to the US, spent the next year trying to figure out how to get back.

Your profession?

I am currently working toward my ultimate goal of being able to write full time. Shortly after moving to Morocco, I wrote Culture Smart! Morocco (Random House, 2006) and have published several articles since. Most recently, though, I had the pleasure of teaching English in Morocco for two years, which certainly tops the list in terms of jobs I've had!

Who is Jillian York? What excites you and what annoys you?

I am definitely a type A personality, constantly busy, always looking for more things to do. I get excited about blogging and new media, certainly - I was one of the first to blog in English about Morocco, and during the time that I lived in the country, it was so exciting to see the blogoma (Moroccan blogosphere) constantly growing and blossoming. Blogging is such an incredible outlet; not only because it allows ordinary people to talk about whatever is on their minds, but also because it gives the rest of us insight into another culture (even if that culture isn't so foreign!). As for what annoys me? I could in a number of different directions with this one, but a major one right now is the bias of the American media. Any American who has spent more than a few weeks abroad knows how I feel; Morocco isn't exactly a bastion of free speech, but the access to global news is somehow far better than in the US.

How long have you been blogging and why?

I started in 2005 when I first moved to Morocco and have continued blogging about my adopted country despite having moved back to the US this past August.

How long have you been a member of GVO and why?

Since April 2006 - I was dying to get more involved in the emerging Moroccan blogoma, and so I contacted GVO Regional Middle East and North Africa Editor Amira Al Hussaini and the rest is history.

What are the main issues effecting your blogosphere?

Morocco's blogoma is fortunate in that its writers have relative freedom in the subjects they choose to blog. Unfortunately, Morocco has also experienced some internet censorship, most notably the censure of YouTube (which is now back), Google Earth and Livejournal (a major blogging platform). Another issue facing the blogosphere is the censure of blogs about Western Sahara issues - blocked to silence opposing viewpoints.

What is your most memorable blogging experience?

When Britney Spears considered converting to Islam? Just kidding! My most memorable blogging experience is being at the forefront of Moroccan news when I lived there, particularly when sites like YouTube were being censored - it was great to be able to break news before major news sites did, basing my posts on the bloggers in my region.

How do you spend your free time?

Whenever I have it (and lately, that's not very often), I read. I also (obviously) spend a lot of time online, although it's usually while I'm working, in some capacity.

What is the latest book you have read? Can you share something from it with us?

I'm currently reading Dave Eggers' You Shall Know Our Velocity! which is very different from his memoir (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius). I've only just started the book, but what I will say is that Eggers is a writer who amazes me on so many levels, particularly in his passion (and compassion) for passing writing on to the next generation.

What do you blog about mostly?

For the past three years, I have blogged about Morocco (at The Morocco Report). Although a lot of what I wrote there was based on my observations and opinions, I also reported and re-reported the news, as well as what other bloggers were talking about. My new blog has a different theme. After blogging about Morocco for nearly three years, I felt that it was time to move on. Although I'll continue to blog at The Morocco Report, my life is now in Boston, and I needed my writing to reflect that.

What are your hopes for Morocco and its blogosphere?

Morocco is an incredible country - in 50 years, it has seen technological developments that took a hundred years elsewhere. What really amazes me is Moroccans' ability to adapt to that - in eight or so years, the internet has become a huge force there. The past three have seen hundreds of new blogs and forums. While I think that all blogs - and especially those of the blogoma - are valuable, I would love to see more Moroccans using that platform to talk about important issues. Unfortunately, I think that there's a certain fear of using blogs as political (or other) platforms (and rightly so, given the recent case against Fouad Mourtada).

In February, you joined a 10-member GV contingent to WeMedia. Can you tell us about the highlights of your stay at the GVO House and meeting GVers face to face for the first time? How was your experience? Are you looking forward to meeting more GVers soon?

I had a blast at WeMedia! Meeting other GVers for the first time was really surreal…you spend so much time with people virtually that you feel as if you know them. And there were others that I'd never even spoken to online who have become friends. I'm really looking forward to the GV Summit in Budapest this June.

Final thoughts?

I am really grateful to be a part of Global Voices. I had no idea what a huge project I was getting into when I started writing for GV over a year ago, but I am so glad that I did!

How did you get involved with GVO?

I first got involved with citizen media through Ohmynews, the South Korean veteran citizen reporting website, where I covered French news (in English) as an experiment in global citizen reporting. As a professional journalist, I wanted to explore new forms of media. During the 2006 Ohmynews international conference in Seoul, I first heard about Global Voices from its co-founder, Ethan Zuckerman, who attended the conference. This led to a profile written for the weekend supplement of Le Monde (sorry, no website). While checking information, I met (via email) Alice Backer, who was in charge of the then new Lingua project. Global Voices in French was about to be launched and needed a volunteer to help out with translations. It was supposed to be temporary. I am still around.

How did you become interested in new forms of media?

I have advocated citizen media since 2004 as much needed new blood in the realm of news. After 20 years in traditional media, I felt tired and disillusioned by the elitism and short sightedness of news. The Web and citizen media was a wonderful and refreshing discovery.

Why Lingua, then, which is “only” translating posts ?

I write professionally, so I don't feel the urge to contribute as an author. Translation is a personal pleasure, since I pick up posts that I find interesting, or important for our local readers. Within the last couple of years, the issue of localizing websites has gained a lot of momentum in the industry (corporate, news) and the experience accumulated by Lingua sites is, according to me, extremely valuable. The multilingual web is just around the corner. In that light, the Lingua project is a fascinating experimenting ground, and a very sophisticated one. I am also amazed at the vitality of Lingua. GVO is probably the only news outlet in the world to boast a Macedonian and Albanian edition!

In all the time you have been collaborating with GVO, what is your most memorable experience?

My defining moment was the Burma (Myanmar) uprising, in both good and bad. Good because it was urgent and important to translate the trickle of citizen news in French as fast as they were published on the GVO main site. They were the only news coming out of this country. And bad because the risks and consequences on Burmese citizen reporters in the following repression were terrible. Can we congratulate ourselves on breaking news to audiences all over the world if citizens with no official accreditation and protection, and their family, suffer from it ?

How do you see the future of citizen reporters?

As a collaboration with “traditional” journalists when bridges between the two universes will finally be established. I believe in teams mixing professionals and bloggers.

You discussed your relationship with Lingua. How is the French site of GVO doing?

It maintains a presence for GVO in the vast Francophile web (Africa, Canada, Europe) but it's slow burning. There is, as always with localization, an image problem. GVO tends to be categorized as a human rights advocacy site by French audiences and not as a news site because it is extremely Anglo-Saxon in its “philosophical” positioning and feels “foreign” to a French eye. Above all, French readers have difficulties understanding the concept, sorting out who is the original post author, the GVO author role, who is translating what from which languages, for whom and why. Let's admit it ! It's difficult to grasp a work flow where a Palestinian blogger reviews blogs in Arabic about something happening in London or New York, writes about them in English, and then someone else pick ups his post to translate it in, say, Malagasy or Bangla. People can get dizzy!

What are you doing, in GVO French, to change this?

Bridging cultural gaps is an issue every website in the world has to face when facing local audiences. Right now, I listen/read to conversations between GVO authors, translators, Lingua sites in preparation for the Global Voice Summit in Budapest, next June. How GV-Lingua sites could evolve has to be a collective decision because it is important, and tricky.

Tell us a little bit about your experiences as a journalist apart from GVO?

I worked as a staff writer for French news weeklies for 10 years, then as a TV reporter for eight years (yes, I am old). I now work for off line and on line publications as a freelancer and I localize English websites for the French market. There is still a lot of defiance from French journalists towards bloggers. I try to be the go-between and introduce them to each others.

Are there many people doing what you do among the French media?

Very few… Newspapers now all have websites and Web 2.0 widgets but the mentality is still very far from the web 2.0 spirit.

There aren't many French journalists in the local French blogging community. What do the main French bloggers think about this?

French journalists now have blogs on their newspaper websites, as part of a general Web 2.0 effort. But they do not consider bloggers as colleagues or comrades. French bloggers, on the other side, spend quite a lot of time criticizing “regular” journalists. We are still in the midst of “What is journalism?” and “Is blogging a form of journalism?” debate.

What can you tell us about your personal experience as a blogger here?

For professional reasons, I do not blog about news or my personal opinions. I have opinions, but I feel that blogging about them under my name (I don't want to use a false name) would create a conflict of interest with my professional writting. I have fun blogs : a photo blog and a tech blog.

How do you prefer to spend your free time? Any hobbies?

The Web is my favorite sandbox. With my cat sitting beside the desktop screen.

So.. what are your favourite blogs?

I like nothing more than surfing and discovering by chance personal blogs about anything and everything, cattle raising or children litterature. I remember spending hours browsing Indian matrimonial websites that I stumbled upon by chance. It was absolutely fascinating, and a lesson in contemporary India.

Last but not least, tell us about your cat?

Her name is Pioum. White cat. Green eyes. Lovely soul. I've a met of lot of cat lovers in the GVO community (we exchange photos of our cats !). Which made me wonder why cats are the totem pets of bloggers around the world. Probably because bloggers spend a lot of time at their desktop. Only cats can stay silent, focused and beautiful for hours on end around a computer ! I discovered that Pioum loves YouTube. Select a few YouTube videos featuring lab mices, rabbits, birds, play them for your cat, and you'll see what I mean !

Laura started translating in June of 2007 after learning about the project from fellow Global Voices author Luis Carlos Díaz. From there, she was hooked and it fit in nicely since she was studying languages at the university.

The experience was beautiful. There was a time when I interrupted my work in order to translate for Lingua :) I enjoyed taking posts from apparentely faraway countries and making them accessible for those that read in Spanish. While I translated, I learned..and that was the best of all.

As she became more involved with Lingua and more familiar with the Global Voices Online community, she thought it would be interesting to write summary posts of Venezuelan blogs. She is a big fan of the mission behind GVO and thinks that has a powerful and long lasting effect.

From a cultural point of view, I think (GVO) represents a way to exchange and encounter others from the point of view of the people. It is a way to express an interest in the defense of human rights, of showing life in communities and in countries, of collaborating with tolerance, vision, and sensitivity of others. When I write for Global Voices, I feel like I contribute so that the culture of my country is known, the way people see things from the point of view of bloggers, and through their perceptions they give a vision distinct from what one normally seen.

Writing about Venezuela bloggers is not the easiest task in the world. Much of what is seen in the mainstream media revolves around the country's well-known president, Hugo Chávez. As a result, much of what Venezuelan bloggers write about has to do with this topic.

I discussed this with Luis Carlos and we arrived at the conclusion that politics and polarization dominates our daily life so much, that the people blog to be able to breathe. Nevertheless, political topics are present and the polarization is felt in the Venezuelan blogosphere. When I post for GV, I look for the greatest variety of opinions, but I always seem to always find many blogs that are contrary to the government, while those that support the government seem to copy and paste the news from digital newspapers. On the other hand, some blogs are written too passionately to quote them in a post, which tries to give a view from the center. In all of the cases, one scrutinizes and looks, but it is difficult.

Many of Laura's articles for Global Voices is proof that Venezuela is much more than Chávez and polarized politics. She has written about famous authors and musicians, as well as education issues. It is no surprise that she writes about these issues, as Laura has a deep-rooted passion for literature and the arts. She graduated with a degree in Modern Languages, specifically in English and French, which has helped with the discovery of literature from other countries. Her personal blog is called Sacando La Lengua [es] (Sticking Out the Tongue) and originally started as way to point out errors of incorrect language around the city, but not in a way to scold others or make others feel bad. In general, her blog became a place “to laugh at the curiosities of language.”

The blog also opened the door for other opportunities to write. She was given the opportunity to write a weekly column called “Blogopodium,” at the weekly magazine Tal Cual [es], largely because of the magazine's editors liked what they saw in her blog. The topics are open, but hthey mainly deal with blogs and culture. However, Laura says finding topics ona weekly basis is much harder than it looks, but it is well worth it.

It is fun because my friends and my parents call me after reading my column and make recommenations. The name of the column was recommended to me by my father because at that time we were watching the Roma series and it was humorous to see the podium where they gave the news..and as I was going to announce what the blogs say about culture, then “Blogopodium” came. It is good publicity for well-written blogs and I like it because I can highlight topics about literature, art, activism, community and of other cultures, especially of what is not published in the newspapers.

Global Voices celebrates, this month, Hyejin Kim's first anniversary as the GVO Korean Language editor. Settled now in Singapore after living in Korea, China, the United States and gaining her Rutgers University Ph. D. in Global Affairs, she works as a development adviser for the Singapore Korean School and as a technical interpreter facilitating exchange between Korean and Singapore markets and governments. Besides, she is a freelance writer: apart from the Global Voices articles, she has written for numerous publications, such as Asia Times and on OhmyNews.com.

Hyejin Kim is also a celebrated young novelist: her debut book, ‘Jia: A Novel of North Korea', has been highly praised as a very vivid and moving novel set in 1990’s North Korea. Perhaps more poignantly, this was an experience that changed for ever Hyejin's typical post-war upbringing views about not considering ‘North Korean as a real country and North Koreans as real human beings'. But is this first book of hers just a novel? Hyejin lets us know in this interview.

When did you start blogging? What is Katong Couple about?

Honestly speaking, I'm really bad at blogging and the reason why I (and Erik, my husband) made a blog was due to Erik's efforts and Preetam's lecture on how good and how useful it is. I'm still a rookie. Katong Couple is about our lives in Southeast Asia, but not limited in Southeast Asian issues. I know I always have excuses not to write it. We always talk about issues together, but Erik is the only one who writes it. I feel pressure that the next post should be from me, but it hasn't happened yet.

It has been one year since you started collaborating for Global Voices. How did it all start?

I was a citizen reporter of the English section of OhmyNews.com, an online newspaper which citizens can participate in as journalists in Korea. At the OhmyNews Conference in 2006, I met Global voices staff members. For those staff members who have not been in Korea before, I took them to Seoul as a volunteer guide after the conference. It was the first time for me to get to know about what Global Voices is. At that time, I heard that they don't have a Korean editor. Several months later, Georgia contacted me whether I'm interested in participating as the Korean editor. Preetam Rai, Southeast Asian editor, was the one who supported to put me in.

Which is your most memorable post for GVO so far and why?

Hard to choose one. I like all posts when I can see what's really going on in other countries through GV authors and bloggers.

“While you travel to a new place, reading books about that area whenever you have time is a significant key to travel. Indulged in a book at Borobudur, Yokyakarta, Indonesia”

Which are the main issues reported by the Korean blogosphere?

It is interesting to observe the Korean blogsphere. Korean portal sites are always full of many colors and graphics. There are a lot of popular things that they talk about. Fashion, entertainment, graphics, and their private lives…. But one major issue that netizens love talking is about politic and social parts. Major portal sites have blog reporters. Netizens focus on talking about politics and express their opinions. Arguments over politics are always hot, hot, hot.

Your book has been described as the first novel about present-day North Korea to be published in the West. Is it true that ‘Jia' is more than just fiction?

Long story… I went to China after finishing my master's degree in 2001. While I studied Chinese and taught English at schools in Northeast China, I had the chance to meet a person who helped North Korean defectors (I only learned this much later after I became a good friend of his). In addition, while I got used to living in Northeast China and traveling in the region, I encountered North Korean children who wandered around the streets. The longer I lived there, the more stories and gossip about North Korean defectors I heard. Another world existed, one that I hadn't recognized or had just ignored. During the time I stayed in Northeast China, by chance I joined a South Korean group who visited churches that were building up missionary activities in towns in the region. Even though I was not a Christian, I was allowed to join their travel after serious consideration (I was rejected twice; when I had given up, they contacted me the night before their travel started). Through the travel, I was able to obtain more stories about North Koreans through direct and indirect interviews.

At one point, my friend and I stayed with a North Korean family that had run away from North Korea. The father, according to his own story, escaped North Korea after the leader of an underground, anti-regime group to which he belonged was executed. During the interview with him, a professional soldier who had worked as a guard at one of the most famous hotels, the idea of writing a story first hit me. Around the same time, a North Korean woman I got to know through my friend became the inspiration for the character ‘Jia.' In real life, she ran away from North Korea and married a Chinese man who could not communicate with her due to the language barrier. Even though she had a chance to go to a safer place, she rejected the opportunity to leave China because of the child she had left in North Korea. She wanted to live in a place closer to her hometown and child. Due to guilt and stress about being caught, she suffered from chronic headaches and depression, but never begged for financial support and never stopped putting on a cheerful face.

When I had chances to go back to South Korea, I started gathering information and research materials related to North Korean defectors and life in North Korea. Based on interviews and fieldwork, I framed the story. After returning to the U.S., I started writing the whole story.

Jia: A Novel of North Korea's paperback cover

What does it tell the world about North Korea, this country which is so closed to outside world?

The reason why I felt compelled to write this story was that I wanted to share what I have felt when I encountered North Koreans in a third place, not in North Korea and not South Korea. I also wanted to focus on PEOPLE's lives, not just repeat what the media tells us about how bad the North Korean regime is and how crazy Kim Jong Il is.

The novel format gave me the opportunity to relate the amazing stories of the North Koreans I met. Indeed, I hope readers come away from the book having learnt something about the kinds of struggles some North Koreans face. In addition, through ‘Jia' I tried to allow North Koreans to tell their own stories. Too often we hear about North Koreans from the perspectives of others. Reports often portray North Koreans as ‘victims' or North Korea as ‘evil,' but those characterizations don't do justice to the experiences of individual North Koreans. I tried to allow the personal struggles of North Koreans to come though in ‘Jia,' without obscuring those stories in the political lenses of international security, human rights, or the Korean desire for reunification.

Are you working on another book at the moment? As a writer, what inspires you?

I am working on an article for a book that is part of a series of a book, Reading Current TV, with Manchester Metropolitan University. It is about the role of broadcasting and language policies in Singapore. It will discuss how language policies that have been implemented in Singapore have been connected to major TV channels in Singapore. A little bit academic style…

Besides that, I'm jotting down several stories in my computer or my notebook now, but I don't know whether they will come out as a book. It's just my habit to write memos when ideas arise. I make a story based on my messy memos.

As a writer, talking with people from different cultures, and encountering them would be one of the biggest inspirations for me. It always makes me look at myself.

You have been “based in a different country almost every year”. Any good tips for packing and unpacking and traveling? Which is your favorite place in the world?

Now I'm based in one place and try to travel as much as possible whenever I have time. Good tips for packing and unpacking? Try not to pack so much. Try not to unpack so much!

My favorite place is anywhere I can see local people and anywhere I can see their lives. I love wet markets and small alleys. When I travel, I try to harass my feet as much as possible.

“Myself, exhausted after walking for several hours in a tropical area. Physical tiredness seems not to take my cheerfulness away”

About her book:

Jia: A Novel of North Korea
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Cleis Press (June 14, 2007)
Language: English

Read a review of Jia at the Asiance Magazine and see other reactions.

Today's Blogger of the Week series takes us to the heart of Africa, where we catch up with our Malawian blogger Victor Kaonga, who talks to us about his journey with blogging, the media and technology scene in Malawi and his special relationship with God.

A radio journalist, 35-year-old Victor, who blogs in English, is currently working towards obtaining a Masters degree in Global Journalism, from Orebro University, Sweden, which he hopes to complete by the summer. Once back home, he aims to coach his colleagues, where together they will embark on a fascinating journey of learning how to communicate with people and the world at large, using modern technology, in a country which had its first television station opened in 1999.

Following is our interview with Victor, who left his home in August 2006, started blogging the following month and joined Global Voices Online in January 2007 to amplify the “untold stories of Malawi to the global community.”

When did you start blogging and why?

In September 2006. I was looking forward to blogging having heard about it the year before at a Highway Conference in South Africa. At that time, I did not know how until I came to Sweden for the course, when one of the former course mates taught us about blogging and how to do it.
I have been blogging for several reasons: One to share information about and on Malawi. I thought I am a privileged person being a journalist in Malawi who can say something on the Internet especially through blogs. Two, I really wanted to tell my own stories in a way that I had never thought of before hoping to expand my social networks. Three, I just wanted to grow and learn more about this Information Highway by ‘being in it.' Fourthly, I come from a background where I have always admired participating in global issues and I thought the blogosphere was the perfect place for me to start from.

Being a career journalist, how different is blogging from journalism?

I have lots of freedom to express myself, put things into both global and personal perspective in ways I cannot in a normal media outlet. Blogging gives me space also to mix text, images and sounds sometimes, which is not possible in radio alone where I am used and where I started working in August 1999. In my career as a journalist, I have mostly been in broadcasting hence blogging is a way of making putting words into sentences on ‘paper.' Otherwise, I am mostly a voice person.

How many languages do you speak?

I speak four fluently and can use them all on air also and I am able to hear a few others, which I cannot speak.
I am fluent in English, Tumbuka, Lambya and Chichewa - the last three are all Malawian languages spoken also in parts of Zambia and Tanzania.

How many Malawian bloggers are there? And do they all blog in English?

There are about 60 known to me and all of them blog in English except for two, who blog in Chichewa and Lambya.

Amazing! Why is that? Are they all in Malawi or abroad?

Many bloggers find it tough to blog in their mother tongue as we have grown up using English for instruction in school - but I also think that many have not been that patriotic!! We tend to look down on our own languages but that seems to be changing now. Our political background also has had some influence in Malawi. We were taught that an educated speaks or writes in English. For now, I would say that most of the bloggers are in the diaspora, where it is much easier as they have better Internet access and a few are in Malawi - with not so regular access but one I would describe as considerable access! The ones blogging in Malawi mostly access Internet at places of work or cafes as extremely few people ever access Internet from their homes. In fact, the number is almost negligible.

Do blogs have a big following of readers?

By readers in the diaspora, yes, but not at home, due to limited access to the Internet as as well as lack of awareness. Many people who have the potential do not know what blogs are but my personal observation is that the number of readers and bloggers is picking up now.

Do you expect that to change soon?

Already it is changing I think, as there is growing Internet access according to people that work with ISPs in Malawi. There is also a popular Malawian online paper, which once in a while features stories from Malawis blogs.

What are the main issues effecting your blogosphere?

There is a whole range largely on politics especially the elections coming up in 2009. We also have lifestyle issues, and a mixture on socio-economic challenges. On a few occasions we have Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stories.

How would you like to see the Internet and blogging utilised in Malawi? Would you like to see bloggers spread say health awareness? Or be an outlet for news mainstream media doesn't cover?

Mostly, it would be important if blogging could be used as lobby tool. If several bloggers make noise, the authorities wake up and respond. The issue is that the authorities in Malawi (in my view) are scared of many things published online. As such, if there is some pressure on them on a particular issue, they tend to respond and attend to the problem at hand. So the blogging can be on anything of concern to Malawi and it will work as long as the bloggers are consistent and write with facts.

Is the media in Malawi free? Do you have censorship issues?

There is considerable amount of freedom in Malawi. Censorship is there but I would say mostly, it is self-censorship, having come from a background of 30 years of dictatorial rule until 1994. But the biggest challenge in my view in Malawi is political influence on and in the media and not necessarily censorship per se. There is both public and private media and I think private media is doing a very commendable job.

Victor, you have a foot in both worlds. One is Radio - which reaches to people and doesn't need technology and the other is really hi-tech considering that not many people even know what blogs are. Which one is more gratifying for you as a journalist and why?

Interesting question! Radio is more gratifying to me for many reasons. With radio, I am able to impact or reach more people. In Malawi, radio is still the main mass medium, contributing about 70 per cent of the media. Ambition wise I wanted to be on radio right from I was eight, in primary school! Having said this, I enjoy writing and find it fulfilling as it gives me a written record that I can turn to later on. But also writing is enriching me as I hear or get feedback from those who have read the posts. So indeed I am between two worlds but I believe I serve two ‘audiences.' I have learnt that if you have an idea, share it in writing, and not just on radio alone! So now with blogging, I have that opportunity to balance those interests and audiences.

Why did you only work for radio then? Why not TV or newspapers?

When I was in primary school, I only knew of radio, no newspaper - of course there was one but dad never bought it. And there was no TV. Television only came to Malawi in 1999. And I am that kind of person who grew up in a very rural area where all we had was radio to connect us to the world.

You come from a country where there are people who are suffering from famine - and with the high incidence of AIDS - can you envision a way to use technology, specifically online tools, to help them?

Yes. I have always thought that such people in any situation can share their experiences, diarise them and share what keeps them on or what inspires them. In fact I have mentioned to several people to jot down and share their life stories, in a kind of a online journal and as long as it is a personal story, someone will find it exciting. So people going through any problems of health, such as with AIDS in Malawi, market vendors in town, small entrepreneurs and young girls cantell their stories online but I know the challenge for most of them is knowledge and fear of the Internet!

Fear of the Internet?

To begin with some people feel challenged by the computer. So when you start talking about writing something for online consumption, you are scaring them further and that is why some people fear the Internet. We have very few people who are well exposed to the ICTs. Of course, there is a lot of interest but this is only by younger people but not those categories whom you would want to target immediately. We have majority of secondary schools that do not computers at all.

So when are graduates first exposed to computers and the Internet? And who has access to them?

These days the computers are becoming more available but still limited to the urban schools. Most secondary students before say 1990 saw computers at the university or in colleges only.

So they saw computers before TV?

Yes, that was the case in Malawi. People saw computers before TV. We could hear of TV in neighbouring Zambia and Tanzania but not in Malawi itself. Of course there were video screens but then they could just are movies and those who had screens were elites! Also note that I think our society is an oral one mostly. So some people are not keen to write down things.

How are people taking on to TV? Was it seen as a positive development? And do you only have a state channel or are there now private stations?

We only have one state channel. There was attempt for a private one but it was suspended, so I am told. Otherwise, people welcomed it only to be disappointed by politicians who are using it for their ends. But being the only TV station, many people are glued to it and are proud to watch a relative, friend or Victor in the box.

What did you cover when you were a radio journalist?

A whole range issues, mostly Christian lifestyle, since I work with a gospel radio station but my work has also been around youth issues and news and then the last four years, I have spent relatively more time in managing the programming and developing programmes and projects.

What do you hope to achieve when you return with your degree home?

When I return, I want to mostly be available for coaching as I think that is most of our work lies. We have a wonderful team in Malawi of media people there and normally they admire those with further qualifications, so coaching in general programming yes, but also I want to spend time help out in ICTs coverage as well if possible mobilise ourselves for internet journalism. By that I mean to promote use of the Internet for journalism in which case blogging too.. We have a tremendous lack of even basic skills in Malawi, among journalists especially.

What are your hopes for Malawi and its people?

I am just hoping that Malawians would have better health systems and facilities and then they can grow into knowing about the world as well as contribute to global conversations.

Talk to me about your family, whom I understand are back home in Malawi? What are your hopes for them?

I have three daughters. My first born is Nayumo, who is almost six, my second is Sayiwe, four, and the third is Angana, who is 18 months old. All these names are in my mother tongue Lambya. I hope that they grow into women who fear God, and are responsible. Most of all that they will respect their mother Thembi at all times. I miss them as I am way from home Malawi. But I look forward to returning to them this June.

My most memorable blogging experience also revolves around my family. On Valentine's Day, I wrote about how I met my wife. I was scared to blog about it yet I wanted to. This was the second Valentine's Day I was far away from my wife so I really wanted to do something special for her. The best I thought was to write about her and tell the ‘world'. I got and still do get comments from people. Some younger ladies laugh and are thankful I shared the story. They say they have learnt one or two things. Younger men have said they are encouraged theirs is on the way…..

And what is your relationship with God?

I grew up in a family where parents were Christians and all of us as children were taught to obey and fear God. In secondary school I made a personal decision to be a Christian much as I had grown up with that background. I was encouraged by many Christians I met in Secondary school to be a committed Christian. The same encouragement was available at the University of Malawi -the only one then and then finally in 1998 I joined campus organisation where were worked amongst university students. Then in 1999 I started working with a Christian organisation where I still belong to date - Trans World Radio. Something worth mentioning is that I am one of the 11 children in our family! But our parents encouraged us to fear God. Of course we have failed many times but ….whenever we failed, God picked us up.

Being a Malawian abroad, what are the stereotypes you face? Do people you come across know about your country?

Many many say they have never heard about Malawi, some ask if it is in Sudan or South Africa. It can also be implied that some people think I am an asylum seeker. I can tell this from their statements or actions, basically those are the main ones. Otherwise, I find lots of nice people and I have had to learn to adjust.

As a media person, do you feel you have a role to play to spread more awareness about Malawi and its people?

Part of my adjusting is based on the fact I am a journalist who has a role to inform them about my country and myself. I also take myself as diplomat. As much as I can, I feel that as a journalist, I am duty bound to share information about Malawi. I would live like a Malawian if they can allow me. And that makes me a very happy person.

Thank you Victor for your time and insights!

Zikomo, Ndagha (thanks)

Kuwaiti blogger Abdullatif Alomar, 30, caught the blogging bug in January 2005 and has never looked back since.

In January 2007, he started doing weekly round ups for Global Voices Online, covering his country's blogosphere, which now spans about 800 blogs.

Like many others, Abdullatif saw the potential of blogging early on, as a means to articulate his thoughts and opinions. Following is our interview:
Why did you start blogging?

“I started blogging because I wanted to express myself, to improve my English typing skills and also because I have many ideas and not everyone in my close ring would understand or be interested in them. I write about nothing and everything and post what I feel people should notice - sometimes it is political, sometimes funny and sometimes what some may call a brain fart,” says the management information system student, who is working towards obtaining his Bachelor's.

Do you get the reactions you anticipate from readers?

Most of the time, no. Sometimes I talk about something important and people do not care; sometimes people do not understand what I mean by the post and over look it. But my experience as a blogger is fulfilling, because when I write something I feel as it's an idea that is out of my mind, and archived outside it, and that it may get a look someday or that it already got a look and made people discuss something.

Can you describe to us the Kuwaiti blogopshere? What do bloggers write about?

I don't think the Kuwaiti blogsphere is describable. It covers many topics and in many formats - Arabic, English, Arabic in English letters (which I personally hate - but hey, some people like that!). I have read many topics - some are personal about their lives; some talk and discuss politics; others are trying to start something (change) or are simply talking about the latest fashions in shoes or cake recipes.

Is the blogosphere reflective of the Kuwaiti society? Are blogs the new mirror of society? Are they its pulse?

I wouldn't say the blogsphere reflects the whole of Kuwait - but it reflects a big part of it, and it's growing every day. Youth have a bigger foothold on blogs than elders, which is normal because blogs are a product of technology. But things are changing. In the 2006 Parliamentary elections, no candidates opened blogs or forums. A lot did not give much thought to blogs. But bloggers are playing an important role in the upcoming elections on May 17, 2006. There is more participation from blogs and although politicians aren't campaining online, bloggers are writing about it. Some have even announced their support for certain candidates.

Are politicians following what is being said on blogs? Are they interacting with it? Or are blogs in one world and the politicians in another?

This is hard to say. Also bloggers aren't going to ask or say something that no one is thinking of. Well for the majority, I mean most bloggers, would want a better Kuwait and that what most politicians will promise them.

Kuwait is a forerunner in freedom of expression. Compared to the rest of the region, your newspapers are freer. Why do you think people are blogging? And are blogs an alternative to mainstream media?

There are many reasons why we have blogs. Some bloggers wish they worked in a newspaper but aren't, so they blog; some just like me, aren't interested in newspapers and just want to write whenever they feel like; and some write stuff that newspapers wouldn't run. Newspapers in Kuwait are free to a degree. Newspapers in Kuwait, just as in the US, are controlled by advertising revenue in most cases. Most wouldn't run an article badmouthing a bank because that would equal losing revenue.

Is there any censorship in the Kuwaiti blogosphere? And why do a lot of bloggers prefer to remain anonymous?

There isn't censorship on blogs - but most of the control is due to self-censorship. As to why would a Kuwaiti like to remain anonymous, it's rooted in Kuwaiti culture. First of all, Kuwait is considered a small country by most standards. People are close and kinship is very important. So when a blogger writes his name, he is known and people will discuss what he said in his blogs and sometimes people do not want to discuss these topics with people they know or with their relatives. For example, if a blogger writes about a bank, saying they are bad, and if his name is known to someone working in the bank as his relative, irrelevant about how far or close they are, people would feel that complaining about it on a blog is cheap shot. And people sometimes discuss the man and not the idea - which I consider the main reason why people avoid going public with their blogs. For instance, if a liberal explains an idea, no matter how good or bad it is, there is a big chance his audience will not think of it because of what he is.

Explain this point some more. Why wouldnt people consider the ideas of a liberal?

Because he is not one of us, it's not only with liberals. It's him against us. We are liberal , he is Islamic Brotherhood. We are tribal, he is a city dweller. People label others and say: he sucks, he has an agenda, he is getting a kick back, and so forth. So some bloggers try to avoid this by not saying who they are.

So people would only listen to those they agree with ideologically?

Most of the time, yes.

Why is that?

It is easier for them. When you only listen to people you agree with ideologically, you don't need to activate the logic department in your brain. You are stuck in thinking: oh my people are good, oh them, bad!

I can't agree more. When do u think we will move on from this mentality? When will we take criticism as something constructive and not a personal attack?

When we can stand in one line? People do not stand in one line for anything - be it a condolence or buying bread.

Is there a sense of Arab nationalism in Kuwaiti blogs?

I wouldn't say there is Arab nationalism in Kuwaiti blogs, since after the Iraqi invasion in 1990, Arab nationalism was withdrawn from most Kuwaiti minds after the shock of what we saw and how the Arab street reacted and how it felt about Kuwait.

Is the pain of the Iraqi invasion still evident in Kuwaiti blogs? Are there still scars?

Not many speak about it, but after years of no Arab nationalism injection in schools and homes, generations have grown without any.

Has the arrest and release of Bashar Al Sayegh effected the way bloggers write?

At the start it sparked fear in many bloggers. Some stopped writing political topics altogether and others cut down on criticism of the government because everything was foggy. But when the fog was lifted and people realised that Bashar wasn't arrested for his blog but for a post published by someone else on a forum he runs, people went back to writing what they wanted.

What are your hopes for the Kuwaiti blogosphere?

I hope the blogsphere would become more mature and have a bigger more positive influence on Kuwait, and generate a more positive look from people towards bloggers.

Another favorite destination for tourists is Jorge's blog called Blog de Viajes [es] (Travel Blog), which has been online since October 2003. The blog goes beyond simply recommending places to visit in Buenos Aires, Latin America and the rest of the world, but it attempts to address traveling from a different perspective.

Travel Blog, on one hand, wants to help travelers construct their own travel experience, but on the other hand, it wants to discuss the relationship between tourism, politics and economy. Not everything is wonderful in this area, such as what is shown when reading a magazine or a travel supplement in a newspaper. Luckily, I have the freedom to publish what I want; that is invaluable, because the blog is my space for personal freedom.

The blog has also opened many doors for Jorge, as it has helped highlight some of his travel writing, but also it demonstrated his knowledge of this important industry of tourism. He has been hired by a pair of private travel-related companies to maintain their blogs, such as for Despegar [es] (a travel booking search engine) and for Logitravel [es]. Being able to work from remote locations has also enabled Jorge to work from the road, where he has been able to pursue his love of traveling.

Some of his most memorable trips have been in North and South America.

It was my trip through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile in 1999. It was a trip very important because I had to prove the ability to organize a two-month trip and whether I could do so with the budgeted money and fulfill it in the planned time. My last trip to the United States (New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC) was also important because noting the differences in living in New Jersey suburb was an experience that tourists not always reach. And New York was a city that I have always wanted to go to. It is worth going many more times.

Yet not everything goes according to plan, but sometimes that is part of the charm of traveling in new places being put in different situations.

In 2005 in Bolivia, we also had many problems. During the problems which ended the government of Mesa, we stayed an entire day in a stranded bus on the outskirts of El Alto. Later we were able to reach El Alto and found a taxi that could take us to Desaguadero. However along the road there were many roadblocks and protests, so we had to get out and leave some money so that they could let us pass. All of this took place on a deserted road, without police or anything. It was a bit impressive to see 20-30 people surround the taxi every time we reached a roadblock, they searched the car to make sure that there were no Westerners, Chileans or Peruvians. The small problem was that of the 5 occupants of the car, the taxi driver was Bolivian, three were Peruvians, including my wife and me. So, I was the one that always talked. In the ranking of the most hated, it appears that I, as an Argentine was the least important of us all. It was a tense night, but we made it :). That small incident has not made me lose the idea that Bolivia is a beautiful country and one that I have visited six times in a short period of time.

For Jorge, traveling is much more than seeing new tourist sites and new surroundings, but rather a sort of personal challenge. “Being in motion is something very interesting, as it forces you to be alert all of the time. Sometimes you can relax, but at the same time it is an intellectual challenge,” he added.

But traveling never seems to get old for Jorge, who has a long list of places when asked where he would like to visit.

Many places. One is in my country and I have yet to visit and that is Ushuaia. I have already been to the extreme north in La Quiaca and now I need to go to the extreme south. Outside of my country, I would love to visit Japan, in particular Tokyo, Cambodia and other countries in Southeast Asia; and Iceland and Scandinavia. In the United States, I have yet to visit San Francisco. In Latin America, first on my list are Colombia and Costa Rica. Another place is Prague, and it appears that I will soon get to visit there :). For now, I see most as less likely, mostly for economic reasons.

In addition to his work on the travel blogs, personal blogs, and writing for Global Voices, he is employed at Buenos Aires University in the Department of Communication Scienes, where is also pursuing a doctorate in Social Sciences. He remains plenty busy and may be motivated to stay busy due to an experience from one of his first jobs.

For two years, I worked as a cashier's assistant for a wholesale supermarket, while I started school. I hated that damn job, and from that point on I promised myself that I would only work in fields for which I am studying for, and since then, I have fulfilled that promise :).

Today's Blogger of the Week series features yet another global voice - Abdulrahman Warsame, who amplifies the reactions of Somali bloggers on Global Voices Online. A Somali born in Saudi Arabia, educated in Egypt and Australia, and currently working for Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, as a Senior Analyst in New Media, Warsame shares his thoughts on blogging in his country and the rest of the Arab world.

At his personal blog, Warsame, who graduated from Monash University in Australia in Information Systems, focuses on politics.

“My blog is mostly a commentary on politics, journalism and culture but certainly politics takes a bigger space. Being an Arab and African, I focus on them most. I'm excited when I see young Arabs and Africans using the web - among other means - to bring about positive change: Egyptian bloggers exposing police torture or Kenyan bloggers rallying together to fight tribalism and create projects like Ushahidi.com to help those who need help. I get annoyed by the lack of time, I would like to write a lot more but I don't seem to be able to get the time. My co-blogger Hanna Ali makes the blog tick, with her intelligent comments on politics and Africa,” he says.

For Warsame, although the role between a blogger and a journalist are distinct, there are many meeting points.

“Blogging is simply a tool, so a journalist could be a blogger and so can a doctor. Blogging is closer to activism than journalism, but bloggers sometimes do some journalism (i.e. bloggers from Myanmar, Egypt and Iraq committed acts of journalism). But there are also journalists who blog, like Andrew Heavens,” he explains.

A relatively newcomer to GVO, Warsame hopes to be able to amplify what Somali bloggers are writing about and possibly encourage more of them to blog.

“I hope to introduce Somali bloggers to the readers of GVO and hopefully encourage more Somalis to read and write blogs. The Somali blogsphere is still relatively young and very diverse. Most Somali blogs, until now, are in English and are written by young Somalis in the North America, UK, Middle East and Africa. Forums and chat rooms are still big but as blogging catches on there would be more Somali blogs written in Somali language.”

Besides blogging, Warsame devotes “a large chunk” of his spare time to reading.

“I also like photography so I do it whenever I get my hands on a decent camera (planning to buy a pro camera in the near future). Socializing and drinking tea (at least 5+ cups a day) is another hobby.”

The father of a five-month-old son, Ibrahim, is also dismayed at the lack of interest in reading among some of his Arab compatriots - and blames the 'system' for it.

“Having been through Arab schools and speaking to students and teachers here, I think the education system is largely to blame for the lack of interest in reading books (people read newspapers). There are less books published in the Arab world (than Iran for example), there are few public libraries or national programs to encourage reading from you age. There was no decent public library in Cairo when I lived there, and it's the same here in Qatar (though they're building one now). It's a crisis and unfortunately no one is doing anything about it,” he notes.

And are Arabs making the most of online technologies?

“Some are and some aren't. I don't think anyone understands the dynamics yet though. Iraqi bloggers like Riverbend and Healing Iraq have done very well and online news sites like Morocco's Hespress are very successful. Forums and chat rooms are still bigger though. Governments, public institutions and companies are very much behind: most of their websites are out of date and have little information about anything. They assume people wouldn't be looking at them,” says the blogger, who is fluent in Somali, Arabic and English and has a bit of Chinese (Mandarin) and Farsi under his belt.

A lawyer by profession, Renata Avila Pinto brings us the voices of bloggers from Guatemala on Global Voices Online.

As a lawyer, Renata specialises in Human Rights, International Criminal, International Private, and Copyright laws. The Creative Commons Project Lead in G