Archive for
January 21st, 2007
Stories
Martinique: Homophobia and Segolene Royal's Socialist Party
· 23:57
The French Socialist Party's presidential candidate Segolene Royal. Photo by Manuel MC.
Le Blog de [Moi], the blog of an out Martiniquan lesbian, tackled a budding controversy in local Martiniquan politics last week. Martinique, though in the Americas, is a French Overseas Department (what the French call a D.O.M.) and Martiniquans are French citizens. Mainland French politicians therefore have to court Martiniquan voters and French Presidential candidate Segolene Royal is no exception. The candidate of the French Socialist Party (which I'll call SP for short), she would be the first French woman president if elected and as part of her campaign she is planning a visit to Martinique soon. However, she has a brewing controversy in her hands because apparently officials of her party in Martinique are holding a discourse about homosexuality and gay marriage that is very different from the one held by officials of the very same party in France.
Le Blog de [Moi] opened up an interesting debate about this very issue in the following words:
Les dates de la venue de la candidate du Parti Socialiste dans l’île, attendue fin janvier, font l’objet de nombre de spéculations. Reportée une première fois, cette visite est attendue à plus d’un titre : … pour une clarification nécessaire de [la] position [de Segolene Royal] vis-à-vis d’un certain nombre de propos homophobes tenus par des élus so cialistes de premier plan, dont Marlène Lanoix (première secrétaire fédérale) et Raymond Occolier (délégué national du PS à l’éducation et à la mémoire), sous couvert de la religion (tous deux sont de confession chrétienne).
China: Independent directors funded
· 15:21
With the news of Chinese broadcasting regulation body SARFT's decision to heavily invest in future films from sixteen of China's hottest young independent directors, one might jump to the conclusion that official regulators are just as tired of the same few big-name directors as many Chinese netizens are. LiLiang, for example, commenting at the Kaiju Shakedown blog:
“As for Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang and Chen Kaige, the larger the budgets they get for making movies, the worse their directing gets. Maybe somebody should impose a US$64,267 budget LIMITATION on any scripts those three decide to direct in the next few years. This might just even up Chinese cinema all around.”
Or does the five hundred thousand RMB per film per director come at a price? Nominee Xu Jinglei, for example, the world's most linked-to blogger and director of the film version of a novel once banned in China. It does, according to an official press statement reposted on Bullog blogger Jajia's space [zh], which quotes a SARFT representative as saying that these independent directors' resulting films will be encouraged to follow the theme of ‘Harmonious Society‘, as well as required to obtain prior permission from both SARFT and China's Central Propaganda Department.
(more…)
Zimbabwe: Questioning the judiciary and the abortive opposition
· 15:16
Morgan Tsvangirai, and not Robert Mugabe, has become the most poignant effigy symbolizing the tragedy that is Zimbabwe. Much like the young nation that stood replete with promise and seemingly unlimited potential in the early 90's, Tsvangirai emerged as the most potent threat to Mugabe's tyranny at the turn of the century. Just like the country, once known as “Africa's breadbasket” has become Africa's basket case, Tsvangirai has turned into a tragic case of a could've been, should've been.
The increasingly isolated leader of the main opposition held a publicized press confrence announcing that Mugabe's efforts to hang on to power would be rebuffed. Unsurprisingly, this event, which early 1998 galvanized the nation's workers to a work stoppage that ground the nation to standstill was hardly noticed by ordinary Zimbwabeans. People are not happy with state of the nation, neither are they happy with Tsvangirai.
Bev Clark at Kubatanablogs epitomizes the deep frustration felt by many Zimbabweans at the arbotive opposition:
2 comments · »»Tsvangirai believes that elections are the way to go, either in 2008 or whenever. Never mind that we’ve had the last several elections stolen from under our noses. Yes of course we agree that the conditions need to be rectified in order to hold accountable and transparent elections but we also know that this is the very last thing that Mugabe will allow because it would be shooting himself in his own small foot.
So therefore we have the two dominant political parties in Zimbabwe playing the same old games. Zanu PF is bound to win, and the MDC is bound to lose - unless the MDC stops ploughing the same old barren fields of thought and action.
Turkey is Typing…the Death of Hrant Dink
· 07:15
While normally this column focuses on what only Turkish bloggers are saying, sometimes events happen that warrant the voices of not only Turkish points-of-views but others as well. The Death of Hrant Dink is one of those moments.
As a bit of background- Hrant Dink was a Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos. Convicted in 2005 of “insulting Turkishness”, Dink has been seen as the champion of the Armenian cause in Turkey. He was gunned down in Istanbul, in broad daylight on January 19th. According to news reports, a suspect in the shooting have been detained, but speculation on who is really to blame for this political assassination continues.
“We are all Armenians, We are all Hrant Dink.”
To much surprise (which I will show in a few more paragraphs) citizens of Turkey took to the streets chanting “We are all Armenians, We are all Hrant Dink”. Erkan's Field Diary reports of widespread Turkish condemnation of the murder and also points out that Dink is the 62nd Turkish journalist that has been assassinated since the founding of the Republic of Turkey. Metroblogging Istanbul has photos of the protests.
(more…)
Links for Roundups
East Asia
Jacky's post about Chinese BBS's discussion of Korean textbook has some follow up discussion at Marmot's Hole by R. Elgin. There is a long comment thread with some more background about the issue.
East Asia
The Television and Entertainment licensing authority issued a warning to Radio and Television Broadcast Hong Kong regarding a TV program on homosexual love and marriage. The chief of Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau immediately demanded to meet with the head of RTHK. Many citizens and netizens, including Mo at inmediahk.net (who had working experience in commerical radio company), believed that such act was to give pressure to RTHK and violated the freedom of speech principle (zh).
East Asia
Animation International issued legal document and demanded the closed down of non-profitable cartoon fans' website in Hong Kong. All of them are run by Japanese cartoon figure doraemons' fans: doraemons.dorafans.com, search.dorafans.com, keithyuen.dorafans.com,
Sub-Saharan Africa
White Africa Muti, a South African Digg like site, “Neville Newey is the second in the African Digerati series of interviews. What he wouldn’t say here, because he is too humble, is that he takes his own initiative to create change. Anyone who has worked with him knows how open he is to discussing ideas and features - this is a rare trait to have in our profession, where everyone seems to get their egos tied up in their work.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Gathara's World responds to the news that the Dalai Lama has once again being denied Kenyan visa: The Dalai Lama doesn't need to come to the Maasai Mara to see Kenyan animals. Just watching the antics of the government over the his proposed visit should suffice. Moody Awori's monkey business simply provides more evidence that Kenya under Kibaki is a banana republic.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigerian blogger, Olawunmi, on why he loves makossa/soukous, “i love makossa. i just do. i think its one of the most beautiful forms of musical expression out there. on one hand, it can be so extravagant and colourful, showcasing everything that's beautiful about the people of sub-saharan africa, and on the other hand it can be mellow and soulful; just like we are, even when we're not trying to be the centre of attention, or when we're trying to express how deeply feeling runs in our beings.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
“I wish Big Brother was about racism,” writes Akin, “I have convinced myself that I do need to wade into this Big Brother saga because I have not seen much that addresses the fundamental problem that has been blanketed by racism and in doing so absolved us from identifying what is really wrong.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
afrika-aphukira reflects on the legacies of peace and justice through the works of John Chilembwe and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ” In Malawi, January 15th is celebrated as Chilembwe Day, in honor of the Reverend John Chilembwe who in 1915 led the first ever uprising against white racism and colonialism in what was then known as Nyasaland. In the United States, January 15th is celebrated as Martin Luther King Jr.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Kikuyumoja's Realm writes about an environmental-friendly torch in Kenya, “Instead of informing the public about a proper waste management, I can only repeat my usual prayers: what we need are eco-effective products. But until then, let’s start using more environment-friendly products such as this dynamo torch that just eliminates the use of batteries.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Black Looks writes from Nairobi, Kenya where she is attending the World Social Forum, “Maybe individual issues can be dealt with country by country and networking across the globe is positive - but another world - as Gil Scot Heron Said “The Revolution will not be televised” in this case it will not be starting in Nairobi Kenya…. The struggle continues - some of us are ready but we need to be more coherent and well it will not happen without some serious sacrifice and risk taking and people are just not yet prepared to SEIZE THE TIME!”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Jackfruity writes about the Ugandan Bloggers Happy Hour, “The topics of conversation at Thursday night's Inaugural Uganda Bloggers Happy Hour ranged from cell phones to Alice Lakwena to the transvestitical possibilities of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Jabberwocky was recited, blogging addictions were confessed, heaven was declared to be just like North Korea, and the Ugandan blogosphere gained a fanboy. Also, we unanimously agreed that Inktus is hot.”
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