Global Voices Online » 2006 » February

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Afghan Whispers: Hope, Hate & Fire

Farid Pouya · 19:59

Afghan Reality talks about signs of hope for Afghanistan after the London conference. The blogger says:

“Afghanistan Compact will serve as the international community's reassurance in helping rebuild Afghanistan. The document officially agreed upon at the two-day international conference in London starting January 31, 2006 highlights key areas where Afghanistan must rise to the challenge.We must embrace change; there is no other option. It is the option. Afghans have high hopes, which have not been fully met, neither by the international community nor by the government. De-licensing over 1500 NGOs is one first promising step. But, even this is an external reform. Most important, the government must demonstrate the same boldness in cleaning up its own fragile institutions.”

Another hot topic is still the Danish cartoons. Sanjar says :

“I was reading some of the Muslim newspapers and weblogs in reaction to this incident and there were two reasons which were most commonly spread. The more extreme writers believed it’s another manifestation of Western–Christian hostility toward Islam. They claimed the western “Politicians and the media have a tendency to see Muslims only as criminal, anti-social elements and as potential rapists” This could be seen in the irony of the cartoons, where the media connects the most prominent Islamic character with backwardness, bomb and criminality.The other reason was, it’s also connected with a lot of home issues which still remains unsolved in Europe, such as freedom of expression. The traditional European censorship comes to a dead end with the rise of right wing governments in power.”

Pouria Lotfi reports that last week there was a case of an Iranian guy, 27 years old, who had fled to Afghanistan hoping he could get asylum, probably in a third country. Unfortunately he became so disappointed at being unable to find a solution that he set himself on fire and died a few days later in hospital.

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Nepal: Money Needed For Movement

Paramendra · 18:56

Democracy For Nepal, DFN, talks of the need for the Nepali diaspora to pump money into the democracy movement in Nepal: moral support is not enough. The idea is to launch an organization to the effect.

Those in the diaspora do not have the option to get out into the streets of Nepal, to get beat up by the police, possibly getting shot dead. That is why the diaspora needs to do everything else possible, and money is key. We have to outspend our opponents. We have to outorganize them.

There is also an entry on Blogalaxy For Global Democracy. Other countries fighting for democracy can hope to learn from the Nepal experience.

A blog is one star. A blogalaxy is many stars. A blogalaxy has many individual and group blogs all interlinked to each other. There are three basic components to power for any democracy movement: money, message, organization. Blogs are great ways to marshall all three. Blogs also make possible politics at the speed of thought. You end up with armchair revolutionaries. One country group could learn from another, there would be much cross pollination in terms of learning strategies, techniques, message honing. Each country group will feel this enormous moral support. The blogalaxy would not be a registered organization, just a communication tool that positively impacts all three power tools, although there might be many registered organizations that are part of it.

United We Blog, UWB, has several pieces of great interest: Images of Protests in Dang, Deserted Voting Booths of Nepal, People Indifferent To Election, Election Day: Kathmandu Silent. The moon throws light, but a bulb that throws light is not the moon. Democracies have elections, but elections are not democracy. Somebody tell that to the dictator king in Nepal.

Samudaya reports from Nepal: Black Day at Basantapur. “After the protest, we meet up with Gagan Thapa. “Four years of brick-throwing”, he reflects, “and nothing has progressed. I've realized that giving two speeches is more effective than two days of rioting.”"

Mero Sansar has a video blog on the state firing water hoses at demonstrators.

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Kenyan blogosphere Dispatch

Juliana Rotich · 18:15

The Anglo Leasing corruption scandal continues this week, a video (WMV file 34MB) of a piece done by the BBC is available on kenyaunlimited courtesy of Mshairi and Mentalacrobatics, it is also available on Bittorent thanks to Maitha. The video is of an interview with John Githongo, a former anti corruption official in the Kenya government, Sir Edward Clay, former British High commisioner to kenya, Mr. Joseph Muchemi, Mr. Hillary Benn secretary of state for international development UK. Therein is a recording Mr. Githongo made of cabinet minister Kiraitu Murungi, who was trying to scuttle John Githongo's work by blackmailing him. Watch it to get an idea of the level of corruption Kenya is grappling with. As of the writing of this post, Mr. Murungi is denying the authenticity of the tape, while a former prosecutor Mr. Murgor confirms that indeed, that was Mr. Murungi's voice and in line with his habit of impeding anti graft investigations.[via Nation Media - free subscription]

Ntwiga thinks Mr. Murungi is “playing footsies with reality” and asks some questions that he would need to answer to “deal with the issues at hand”

+ Did you or did you not participate in the looting from the Kenyan people that has been and continues to take place? If so, stand up and face the music.
+ If you did not participate in looting and grand corruption, attempt to present evidence to this effect. If you have no evidence, then state this and claim your innocence. Kenya law maintains that you are innocent until proven guilty.

Kenyanpundit Points out that the focus right now is on individuals, yet there exists a network of corruption that is institutionalized. In her piece “On Grand Corruption in Kenya”She notes that not enough is being said about ‘the big picture'. She then gives a very thorough and detailed breakdown of very pertinent matters to the question of corruption, including her thoughts on civic education, “Fact is that voters generally react to more basic concerns whether it is tribe, popularity, fear, etc. (not just in Kenya, how do you explain two terms of George Bush?). ” She also states

…there needs to be a better effort at tying the impact of corruption to their daily lives. Now that you’ve exposed just how much is spent in luxury car, what exactly does the fact that your “bendera MP” is driving a S-500 Merc mean for you as a constituent?

Mentalacrobatics echoes the sentiments of one of the kenyans in the BBC video piece.

About half way through the video of the BBC report with Githongo the TV crew meet a man who tells them, “My vote is my weapon I know what I will do in the next general election. I will throw them out.” Amen. No need for guns and militia for us, I’ve got all the power I need in this voter’s card.

He also provides some examples to illustrate Kenyans' shift in attitude toward the politics, noting

Politicians in Kenya today should be worried as it looks like the whole country has learnt the art of the poker face and fake smile. We’ve learnt how to do politics. We may tell you one thing and go out and do something completely different. Clever politicians have to keep on their toes as we the public have finally understood our role in this whole democracy thing, you work for us. The sooner you understand that, the better.

Whispering Inn gives four reasons why he does not think much will change after the 2007 elections, saying “dont bet on change”

Magaidi rants (toungue in cheek) saying “we need a kenyan git-mo” to accomodate the corrupt individuals from the Anglo leasing and goldenberg scandal.

Kenyan Analyst looks at the scandal in a wider context, in the post “Githongo the man and the secrets” , he thinks “No doubt the Brits and others have their own interestsin this (they always call it “enlightened self-interest”)…” he draws parallels between the githongo story and the watergate break in, where he feels that there are other factors at play.

Bankelele compares the cell phone services of Kenya's top providers, Safaricom Vs Celltel, in the post is also a bit on the Anglo Leasing scandal. He points out that “The day after Finance Minister David Mwiraria resigned, the People newspaper reported that one of the triggers of his departure was that the US Embassy in Nairobi has signalled that it would not grant him a visa to head a Kenyan delegation travelling to Washington DC to attend World Bank talks in February.”

As you can tell, the anglo leasing scandal is a very fluid story, to keep abreast of the developments do visit KenyaUnlimited, a collection of Kenyan blogs.

If all this anglo leasing stuff makes you dizzy, Adrian has a series of beautiful photos of his family's farm in the post Bean harvest in Loitokitok

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Chilean Bloggers Making Faces

Rosario Lizana · 12:17

Because of the internet, many people know each other by what they write, but have never met face to face. That's the connection that Beatriz made and is why she is now inviting groups of eight bloggers to a (free) workshop every wednesday where she gives them the materials to make a mask. The conversations at the workshops have been varied, but they are always linked to the internet and what happens to us with our blogs. Each person lets their creativity run wild. Eighteen bloggers have participated so far and Beatriz hopes to attract 100, after which a public exposition will show the masks which were made during the workshops. Anyone is free to take part in the project by inscribing at Beatriz's blog.

Opinions of Participants:

Yvette: “I took part an experience which could be defined as a catharsis of spirit and of energy.”

Roberto: “And yesterday, as I left the great artistic meeting, I felt like Patrick Swayze in Ghost, looking for Demi Moore. What can I say, two hours of good conversation, concentrated in trying to create something with my hands in the clay that, little by little, took form. I enjoyed the experience from beginning to end.

Nicolas: “A breakthrough. I hadn't been in one, since the times of BBS. Old times. Loved to realize how all are anxious to communicate, to share, to give. For free.”

Nadia: “We participated in a quasi-therapeutic session of conversation, beating the clay, craft-work and, of course, with the topic of blogs floating in the air.”

Carlos Verdugo took photos of the workshop.

Translation by David Sasaki

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Bahrain: Blood, Sex and Incarceration

Mahmood Al-Yousif · 07:32

Mating parakeets in a palm tree Good. You're paying attention now so let's start this week's roundup with the mundane and progress from there:

Mahmood seems to have been branded a pervert for photographing wild parakeets having sex in one of his palm trees and have chosen to nest in his house's eaves. He's been warned; however, to quit this “bird-porn” business as some think that his site will be blocked by virtually the whole Gulf because of the terms used in that article.

Moving on… On the tenth day of Muharram, the first month in the Muslim calendar, an event that took place over 1,300 years ago is commemorated in Bahrain by its Shi'a population as do hundreds of millions of Shi'a Muslims around the world in remembrance of Imam Hussain.

Haidar, a macabre procession during Ashoora In Bahrain, the commemorations have morphed into a cultural event that is now not just the usual expressions of grief which is exhibited by processions of men beating their chests. These events are now streamed on the internet^a, something that prompts Tawfiq Al-Rayyash to suggest calling this festival e-Ashoora.

However, some take this expression of grief to extremes by allowing an incision to be made in their scalp so that a copious flow of blood occurs^a. This bloody precession is called “Haidar” and is a very controversial subject even among leading clerics and Shi'a Marji' as Tawfiq Al-Rayyash argues^a and concludes that this act damages the reputation of not only the Shi'a, but Islam in general and needs to be stopped. Something that virtually all Bahraini bloggers agree with^a.

Michael Jackson after the break… (more…)

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The Global Menu

Melissa De Leòn Douglass · 00:50

I am reporting this time from Nanegalito, a picturesque town in the Ecuadorian Andes. Let's see if you can find it in your map! We will report about the marvelous finds in the area in future posts, I promise.

The weekly roundup brings the following news from our blogging food lover friends:

#1
From London, Gastro Chick shares her very own recipe to prepare the “Perfect Mash.” Head over to her blog and find out this well kept secret that finally comes out.

#2
Have you visited BlogHer – where the women bloggers are - yet? They have now a very active “Food & Drink” section where some of the most popular women food blog writers meet and share what they write. Take a look, it's fun!

#3
Directo al Paladar from Spain, writes about three very interesting restaurant guides for Barcelona, Tenerife and Buenos Aires.

#4
Gia-Gina in Italy experiments with baby artichokes and prepares an outstanding salad.

She also explains how to cook with bottarga, which is also known as the poor man's caviar. It is the salted, pressed and dried roe of either tuna (tonno) or gray mullet (muggine.) Her recipe to prepare Spaghetti con Bottarga is delicious and beautiful.

#5
For the love of bread: if you are ready for some “Spicy Bread Seduction”, do not miss the Naughty Curry's recipe to prepare Cactus Sunset Bread.

#6
From Canada, Sour Patch shares some very interesting news: McDonald's goes blogging!

See you soon!

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