Archive for
May 16th, 2007
Stories
Kurdistance: The Honor Killing of Dua
· 22:55
This may seem like old news….but it isn't. Even though the tragic honor killing of a young girl in Northern Iraq/Southern Kurdistan took place in early April, sometimes the meaning of these sad stories take a while to surface. There are conflicting reports about how 17-year-old Dua died, some say that she was lynched, some stoned to death, others say both. What we do know was that Dua was a young girl in love, who left her Yezidi faith to live her life with a man that she loved. She was brave and idealistic; and she died horribly because of it. A mob of Yezidi men dragged her into the street, tore her clothes to shame her, and then the mob killed her…the final blow being a large rock taken to her head. And someone filmed this horror, which is floating around the internet somewhere if you truly wish to see it. What is important, is that this tragedy not only is sad in the individual sense of this girl's death, it is also sad in what it signifies for a culture and society eager to change, but unable to, as the Kurdish bloggers point out.
While all Kurdish bloggers have condemned the death of Dua, the discussion has been focused around women's rights. Iraqi Kurdistan, while discussing how Kurdistan is falling behind in implementing increased women's rights, gives an excellent summary of what honor killings are:
Having lived in a western society for the last 14 years, where women have equal rights to men both constitutionally, legally, culturally and socially and at the same time being a Kurd, who spend most of his life before that in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, one cannot avoid making comparisons about the state of women in both those cultures.
What made me think about this issue more recently, was the local Kurdish statistics which showed an increase in the numbers of the so-called “Honour killings”, which are usually perpetrated by one or more male members of a family, usually a brother or a father or a cousin, against a female member of the family, usually a daughter or a sister or a wife or a cousin, mainly because this female member was judged by the family, to have spoiled the honour of the family, a concept which means a real or purported emotional or sexual relationship outside the boundaries of marriage, even if that the female member was raped against her will and even if the perpetrator was a member of the family or someone close to the family. The punishment is almost always for the female part of the equation, leaving the male partner practically unscathed, as it`s usually the female who is conceived as the symbol of honour in such societies.
Reading the local newspapers of Kurdistan, you notice alarming statistics of thousands of women being killed or women falling victims to severe fatal burns, a method of suicide popular in Kurdistan by desperate women who find themselves threatened or humiliated or abused by other members of the family, by pouring kerosene on their bodies and setting themselves alight, usually enduring 80-90% of third degree burns, which is almost always fatal. Surprisingly every other member of the family appears complacent about the accident and portray it as an accident, and mostly without shedding any tears or showing any signs of sorry for the victim.
Kurdistan Aspect covers the state of honor killings in Kurdistan and some of the specific cultural ideals that play into it:
Despite that we come to know that the Yazidi society suffers serious shortcoming. It has still a caste system. We can also expect that they suffer all the ills that afflict and finally cripple any ideological systems, if not the world – the way Islam is currently besetting the world.
The next shocking aspect of Yazidi culture that I have discovered was the way women are treated. A few months ago, a Yazidi lady published a critical view about the treatment of women within her society. It was clear that Yazidi women are treated even worse than Muslim women. The impression one would get is that the sexual act within the Yazidi marriage does not differ considerably from rape. The man is expected to be as rough as possible without slightest regard to her feelings or humanity. However, here we cannot ignore that such an attitude might have been also influenced by Islam. It might be a case of impressionable victim taking after the aggressor, when the aggressor is not punish and left to make ill-begotten gains and claim glory on top of all that, as Muslims do.[5] It seems that Yazidis have been trying to convey a message to the Islamic neighborhood that although they differ slightly in their religions they share all other values with Muslims, particularly in regard to women, whose sexuality seems to have become the pivot of Yazidi and Islamic men’s honor.In all ideological system one should expect the maltreatment of the weaker parties. The treatment of women was not in fact much better when Christianity dominated the political life in Europe.
Blogger Karer of Kurdistan notes how this common tragedy is even apart of ballads and love songs of the region:
They would not marry an outsider who is from their Yezidi belief. They would kill a Yezidi girl who marries a Muslim Kurd etc. They are very strict in preserving this tradition. So they would marry among themselves. Kurdish love songs are full of such tragedies. The young girl who is a Yezidi may not marry her lover who is a Muslim Kurd. The songs contain sad lyrics about the tragic loves just because the beliefs are different.
A few days ago, Kurdish Web sites were discussing a Kurdish girl killed by a mob in Iraqi Kurdistan. The girl was of Yezidi fell in love with a Muslim Kurd and ran away with him. The Yezidi relatives found her and killed her in mob styles. Yezidis, I believe, would not accept converts; you are either born as a Yezidi or not. I bet many young people have loved each other from Yezidi and other religions but could not marry because there is not escape out of it. I wonder how it is now among the Yezidis in Germany where most of the Yezidis from Kurdistan (Turkey) live now. I would like to see the impact of the German society on the Yezidis in Germany whether or not they have relaxed their traditions in that regard. The tragedy happened a few days ago spilled cold water on heart on the tightly knit societies and belief systems that allow revenge as a mode of solution no matter what the ethnic background is—Kurd, Turks, Arab, or Persian.
And Rasti notes that a fundamental change is needed:
One might also ask if the reason the KRG finally issued a condemnation of the murder is also because “non-Kurdish fundamentalists and foreign organizations began discussing the issue.” I would add that it's not enough that this be a problem addressed by women's organizations because it is not simply a “women's problem.” It is a domestic problem and a societal problem, which means that everyone, including men, are involved and must fight for change.
All of the posts that I have linked to today have been excellent, and I recommend reading them all in their entirety. If you are interested in news commentaries on this subject, I also recommend this article and this commentary piece (and the comment discussion). This is definitely a subject which needs to be explored more in depth. Next week we will cover what bloggers are saying about the Ilisu Dam project in Northern Kurdistan/Southeast Turkey and give you a visual tour of the region.
20 comments · »»Iran: Police Officer Kicks Woman 
· 22:32
Iranian authorities are fighting against women on at least two fronts. On one side, women activists protesting for equal rights are sent to prison and persecuted. On the other side, Iranian police officers continue with a nationwide crackdown aimed at making women abide by Iran's Islamic dress code. Although the head of judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroud, criticized the police action, the operation still goes on. Thousands of women have been warned and hundreds arrested for wearing overly loose headscarves or excessively tight coats.
The following video clip displays the violent behavior of Iranian security forces. More than 38,000 viewers have watched it on YouTube so far.
Nasrin says [Fa] that the police actions against women are a humiliation to the so-called ‘Hezbollah.' Instead of words, art or thoughts, they just use force. She adds that 4,000 students have signed a petition and protested against the recent crackdown on women.
Zeynabeh Peyambarzadeh, a woman's activist and journalist has been arrested. According to [Fa] Meydan, Zeynab is suffering form heart problems and her family has not been able to convince prison authorities to deliver her medcines and clothing. More than 500 social and cultural activists and personalities protested against her detention.
0 comments · »»Earthquake in Laos, Felt in Thailand
· 14:52
Some bloggers in Thailand are reporting the tremors they felt from a quake in Laos up north. There are no reports of and injuries or damage to property as of yet.
Thaizer, based in Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai wrote
A couple of hours ago I was at home in Chiang Mai working away at my desk, when I felt my chair move backwards slightly. To be honest, I thought I’d spent too much time looking at the computer and was having a dizzy spell! It didn’t last long and I can’t say the whole room shook or there were pictures falling off the walls, but there was definitely something going on.
The location of the earthquake in North West Laos near the border with Myanmar and Thailand.
Popagandhi, A Singaporean currently traveling in Thailand with her mother also felt the quake
The earthquake of magnitude 6.1 rocked my second floor hotel room in Chiang Mai! The lights were shaking, my bed was shaking, I was lying down in bed at 3pm (that’s all I do these days, exhausted from the previous week of working).Mum: “What was that?”
Me: “What was what?”
Mum: “That shaking!”
Me: “Oh, you felt that too? I thought everything was swaying because I took too much flu meds. That was probably, um, a… zzzz.”
3 Bears, also in Chiang Mai did not feel the quake but saw the water level in the hotel's pool drop.
2 comments · »»Conservation 2.0: Congo Park Rangers Bring Global Attention To Endangered African Wildlife
· 13:47
Conservation, like many other areas of our professional, political and social life, is currently adapting to new trends in information and communication technologies. Despite the colossal digital divide that exists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, blogs are becoming an important information and communication weapon in the hands of Congo park rangers. Since last year, Congo park rangers have been using blogs to communicate with the outside world about their struggle to protect the Mountain Gorilla, hippos and other endangered animals in Virunga National Park.
Virunga, the first national park in Africa, was named a United Nations World Heritage site in 1979 and classified as an endangered site in 1994. The Mountain Gorilla in Virunga National Park is listed on the Red Data List as critically endangered. There are about 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the world today.
Congo rangers started blogging after the establishment of WildlifeDirect, a charitable organization helping conservationists in Africa to tell their stories using the power of the web. WildlifeDirect is a program of the African Conservation Foundation chaired by African paleontologist and conservationist, Richard Leakey:
WildlifeDirect was established to provide support to these conservationists via the use of blogs – this enables anybody, anywhere to play a direct and interactive role in the survival of some of the world’s most precious species. We believe that the Internet provides an unprecedented means of bringing the remarkable efforts of these dedicated people to the attention of the world.
Armed with blogs and cameras, the elite park rangers tell their own stories, which have hitherto been mostly ignored by the mainstream media. Their blogs have established a new channel of communication, which allows the world to know the plight of endangered animals and the dangerous conditions they work in:
As while we’re out on patrol there is no room for mistakes, one wrong move could spell a potential disaster, which may be why Discovery Channel has labeled being a Congo Ranger as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
In addition, their blogs have become a powerful fundraising tool. Before they started raising money online, these park rangers were working for several months without pay. With blogs, the situation has changed:
I should like to thank each and every one of you for your generous donations since I started this blog on 8th January 2007…I am very happy to report the following donations:
Open Donations to Gorilla Protection: $21, 234.40 (net of Paypal fees)
Community Liaison Officers: 13 months worth of officer
Fuel for Ranger Patrols: 4
Patrol Boots: 3 pairs
Patrol Rations: 54
Patrol Tents: 1
Truck Hire: 4
Uniform for Rangers: 1
Wall Maintenance for Gorilla sector of the park: 17 kilometersAs you know Chris A donated $12,000 for a vehicle (included in open donations). This has been purchased 2nd hand from Oxfam here in Goma and the engine and spare parts for its refurbishment are being brought from Kampala. It should be on the road very soon and I will let you know! Chris also donated $2,300 for two laptops for Camp Karema, the new gorilla monitoring station we are setting up in Bukima, in the Mikeno Sector of Virunga. These have also been purchased. Georgina O donated $1,000 for the tent for Camp Karema, which is up.
Their blogs have been providing regular stories and voices from the deepest part of Africa for a global audience. There are stories of a rare sighting of 10 elephants and rumors of rebels seen in the area, birth of a baby Gorilla, Chimpanzees rescued from illegal trafficking, warning signs from a rebel group, and updates about their social life.
The Bloggers
Except for Robert and Samantha, all bloggers are Congolese. Since French, Swahili, and Lingala are the most common languages in Congo, their stories are translated into English before posting:
At the moment we write the blogs by giving the Advance Force cameras for them to record their daily lives, and then for them to sit down with us to add description and talk about their work, which we then translate into English and post.
This way of blogging is very time consuming and, as the WildlifeDirect team is only very small, will not be sustainable once we have more blogs on the go. So you can imagine we were thrilled when Kavusa suggested both English and computer lessons for the Advanced Force.
Park ranger Atamato works in Ishango, a sub-station of Virunga National Park (see Ishango bone):
My name is Atamato and above you can see me with my wife Mawanzo. We live in Ishango in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I work as a Park Ranger in Virunga National Park and oversee the Ishango Sector which, following the recent massacre of Hippos around Lake Edward, now contains the last remaining significant group of Hippos in the region.
Up until now we have been working in almost total isolation but now, thanks to WildlifeDirect, this blog is a way for me to join forces with those who are interested in conservation, and hopefully together we can work to preserve the park’s wildlife.
Welcome to my blog, and welcome to Ishango.
In one of his recent posts, Atamato writes about Mai Mai rebels:
I want to give you all an update on the situation here in Ishango, and also say a thank you for the donations that I have received through this blog and to let you know where this money will go.
As I stated on a message in the last post, it is the Mai Mai who are back in the area. This is the same rebel group who were responsible for the mass slaughter of hippos in Lake Edward at the end of last year. For the moment they are in Muramba again, which is about 12 or 13 kilometres from here, and I have heard from my sources that there are about 40 men altogether.
To be honest, at the moment in Ishango we are not equipped to deal with the Mai Mai should anything happen.
Elie Nkuba is the Commander of the Advance Force in Virunga National Parks:
Dear Friends…
My name is Elie Mundima Nkuba and I am the Commander of the Advance Force of the Rangers in Virunga National Park, in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo. I am 41 years old and I have been a Ranger for over 17 years. I have received quite a lot of training over the years, including as an alpine mountain guide and in Wildife Management.
His May 8 post, Congo Rangers, most dangerous job in the world?, reads:
As while we’re out on patrol there is no room for mistakes, one wrong move could spell a potential disaster, which may be why Discovery Channel has labeled being a Congo Ranger as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
The rangers face bullets from rebels and poachers. Last month a ranger was shot dead by poachers:
On 18th April the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that a Ranger in Nyaruhangi, in Virunga National Park, was shot dead by armed men assumed to be from the FARDC during the night of the 17th. Paul Bagambe Baibutsa was Chief of the Ruti Patrol Post. It seems that Bagambe was targeted as he was seen as an obstacle to animal poaching.
Aloma Major has been working in Virunga National Park for over 10 years:
I am 34 years old, and I have been working in the park for over 10 years. I was born in North Kivu province which is in the east of Congo. I am married, and my wife, children and I live in a village called Mutwanga which is just on the edge of the park.
I have worked with the Mountain Gorillas for most of the time I have been a ranger. I protect the Gorillas and the park from poachers and other dangerous groups who want to hunt illegally in the park. We have poachers not only from my country, Congo, but also from Sudan and Rwanda as we are close to the borders of these two countries. Virunga National Park is actually Africa’s oldest national park. It was established by the government in 1925!
This is the first time I have ever done a blog, so please forgive me if I make any mistakes. Plus my English is not that fluent so someone from Wildlife Direct helps me write this post.
Aloma's work is sponsored by Stratton Elementary School in Colorado, USA, where students have been selling pickles to raise money for him:
This last week I’ve received messages from the students of Stratton Elementary who are sponsoring my work here. Their support has been tremendous and never ending, and I have heard from their teacher Libby that towards the end of last week they had been selling giant dill “Pickles for Primates” for 50 cents a piece to raise enough for my sponsorship.
I am not a preacher nor a business man, and so it is difficult for me to find the words that express what I want to say. It is not just the physical things that the students at Stratton Elementary have made possible, like my boots and my rations, but they have also given security to me and my family. This makes it easier when I go out on patrol as I am able to concentrate on my work, and I hope that one day that all of the rangers who work for the Advance Force will also have this ongoing support.
Stratton Elementary, you have given more than money and for that I am truly thankful.
Aloma uses his blog to engage in dialogue with students at Stratton Elementary:
dear Aloma Iam happy you are safe. Are you? do you drink soda. sinserly Danny
Hello Danny, I hope you are well. We are now safe in our homes in Mutsora as the area is a lot more stable than before. And yes, I do drink soda. I like to take a coke and also I like sprite too. What is your favourite soda?
DearAloma, I’m so sorry that an other goille got killd! How is your family doing? When did that happin? I do not know wath we can do whith out you. I mena that. Love, kori
Hello Kori, and thank you for your message. Yes, we were very sad when the silverbacks were killed, it is a very sad thing to happen. They were killed at the end of last year. I am pleased to say that all in my family are in good health. How are you and your family?
Dear Aloma, I’m glad that you are helping the gorillas in the Congo. How are you doing? I like you!! Sincerely, Hannah
Dear Hannah, I’m doing very well. Thank you for all that you are doing to help our work here.
Dear Aloma, Are classes hearts are with you and family .we are listining to africin music ..we will keep giving money to you gys so we can help you gys thrue the summer . Are hearts are also with the gorillas .we love you to the bottem of my heart .we are learning about meal worms and catapeelers they are relly cool . sincerely , brittany
Thank you so much Brittany for such a kind message. It is good to know that I have such a good team behind me, so that me and my rangers can keep protecting the mountain gorillas and all the other animals here in Virunga National Park. I like caterpillars too, what is your favourite animal?
Paul Ngobobo is a senior warden with the Congolese Wildlife Authorities:
I’m Paulin Ngobobo. I’m a senior warden with the Congolese wildlife authorities known as ICCN. I’m responsible for the Southern Sector of Virunga National Park. The greatest challenge, and my biggest responsibility, is protecting the Mikeno Gorilla sector, which protects many of the last remaining Mountain Gorillas.
My wish is that this blog might inspire others, wherever they are in the world, to join in our struggle to protect our mountain gorillas who are now on the edge of extinction.
Paul has posted pictures of a newborn mountain gorilla, Kabila, named after the president of Congo, Joseph Kabila, and Ndeze, named after a local tribal chief who died just two days before the birth. And news of a sick gorilla infant:
I am happy to tell you all that the 2 1/2 year old infant of the Kabirizi family is not in grave danger. Ntibahanana has discoloration of the hair and the hair is also falling out on the thighs. Dr Jacques from the Mountain Gorilla Vet Program visited the family yesterday, but was unfortunately not able to get too close.
The post resulted into a visit by a vetenerian from the Mountain Gorilla Vet Progam:
Following my post last week Dr Jacques from the Mountain Gorilla Vet Program traveled to Bukima today in the Mikeno sector to try to see the sick 2 1/2 year old infant of the Kabirizi family. He was unable to visit the family. The trackers, who following the Mountain Gorilla families every day, had trouble locating the Kabirizi family as they had moved to about 4 hours walk from the patrol post. So by the time the trackers got back to Bukima, it was too late for Dr Jacques to set out.
Deo Sindani hopes that his blog will inspire other to help protecting Mountain Gorillas:
My name is Deo Kakule Sindani and I am Ranger in Virunga National Park in eastern Congo. I am 32-years old, I am married, and my wife, my 4 children and I all live in Mutsora, a village just inside the park…
Part of the reason is that we are so isolated, which is why I am so grateful for this blog and your support. This blog will be a diary of our efforts to protect the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga. My wish is that this blog might inspire others, wherever they are in the world, to join in our struggle to protect our Mountain Gorillas who are now on the edge of extinction.
Robert Muir is with the Frankfurt Zoological Society:
I am Robert Muir, and I manage the Frankfurt Zoological Society’s programme in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On May 3 Robert brought to the world attention plans by the Congolese military to set up a military training camp inside Virunga National Parks:
The Congolese military are going to set up a military training camp at Nyaleke, inside Virunga National Park. I was told today that after huge efforts by UNESCO, the European Union, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and other conservation NGOs over many many months, all efforts have failed and we are soon going to see thousands of Congolese soldiers receiving training within the borders of one of the world’s most spectacular national parks.
This is not a regular military training camp. It is called a “camp de brassage” and is one of many such camps set up for the training, redeployment and demobilization of the Congolese military. While these camps are a crucial part of the peace process in Congo, placing them within the park is potentially very damaging.
Elie Nkuba blogged about the illegal camp:
Some terrible news for the park.
There is already a small military camp illegally within the park, but we have just found out that this will be extended to house 4,000 men and maybe their families too.
There are plans to extend the military camp that is already illegally located within Virunga National Park. This is not good news for the park as the camp is going to house about 4,000 men, plus their families.
Conservation Through Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube
The rangers are not only posting pictures and text on their blogs but also videos. They have created a channel on the popular video sharing site, YouTube. Another channel has been created by Bill Creary, WildlifeDirect board member.
In an effort to communicate widely and effectively, the rangers are also using the power of social networking tools such as MySpace and Twitter. They are urging supporters to digg their stories:
We're looking for people with Digg accounts (they're free). Often, such as the gorilla and hippo killings, important news stories happen here in Africa. But without a media presence these stories often go unnoticed, and so we are looking to the internet as a window to the world.
Using blogs and social networks such as Twitter, YouTube and now MySpace, these stories are finally getting out. But they could go even further. When there is the need, we will post these stories on the MySpace Bulletin board and then urge you to Digg these stories so that even more people find out.
Congo Rangers Blogs: A Success Story of Technology and Conservation
Speaking with Saratoga News, Bill Cleary says that the use of blogs to protect Mountain Gorillas has so far been effective:
It's blogs such as Ngobobo's and his fellow rangers that Cleary knew would really help to make a difference in the fight to protect the mountain gorillas.
So far, it really is working.
One month after the site launched, $20,000 was raised, more than 600 comments and messages from the public were received and approximately 300 articles were written in the international media about the Wildlife Direct's endeavors.
Today, nearly three months after its launch, close to $60,000 has been raised through the site.
Donations have enabled them to buy a second-hand vehicle. Paulin writes on his blog:
Thanks to your generous donations we are in the process of rehabilitating a new vehicle for the Rangers. We purchased this second hand vehicle, and are working on putting in a new engine, a Turbo fuel injector, new front suspension, new tyres… basically a complete overhaul. We order the parts from Rwanda because you cannot find them easily in Goma.
Congo Rangers Blogs in the Blogosphere And Mainstream Media
Articles and posts about Wildlifedirect blogs have appeared both in mainstream media and blogosphere. Bill Cleary, in his interview with Saratoga News, points out that one month after the site launched approximately 300 articles were written in the international media about Wildlife Direct.
The National Geographic News article, Exposing Atrocities, Blogs Give Wildlife Warriors Instant SOS begins:
Getting the message out isn't easy on the front lines of wildlife conservation.
News crews and other media are seldom on hand to spread the word of efforts to save endangered animals in remote tropical regions often ravaged by war, poverty, and disease.
Now conservationists are taking matters into their own hands, via their keyboards, in harnessing the power of the blog to attract headlines and much needed support.
Fred wrote “Congo Rangers blog from the front line” back in March. Our link to Fred's post led BBC Pods and Blogs to do a story about WildlifeDirect.
Rebecca MacKinnon had this to say after reading their blog:
I was just poking around their blogs. Great stuff: wonderful pictures and videos, and real windows onto the lives of some dedicated Congolese park rangers. If you care about African wildlife you should definitely follow their blogs. A great example of one less thing I ever would have known about if it weren't for Global Voices.
Comfortable Disorientation writes, “A blog less ordinary“:
Yesterday, I was gobsmacked (in a good way) to discover William is in the Democratic Reublic of Congo, working for Wildlife Direct. This mostly involves him blogging about the (often dangerous) work of the Rangers in Virunga National Park. I mean The Congo? That's not just Africa, that's deep, deep Africa! Somewhere I can barely imagine - so it's lucky his blog does such a good job of bringing it to life…Here's a video that William helped Elie, one of the rangers, to put together. It does a great job of introducing what his job is all about and is simply a fantastic example of why I love the internet!
Blog News (unfair and biased) posted, “Blogs For A Cause? Wildlife Blogs,”:
Concerned citizens have come to the rescue by creating their own means of spreading the word to the rest of the world � through blogging. Take for example Congo Rangers, a blog maintained by rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In October, they alerted the world to an atrocity committed against hundreds of hippos which were massacred by armed men in the Virunga National Park.
This blog is merely one of the blogs which are part of Wildlife Direct. Indeed, in these times when authorities left and right are going on about the danger of blogs, it would be good to realize the great potential of blogs to save lives � both human and otherwise.
A blog post by Elie Nkuba about a park ranger, who escaped after being held by rebels for two years, was picked up by Voice of America:
From the post on Tuesday about Jean Marie’s escape from the rebel leader 106, Samantha Newport from the WildlifeDirect team saw the story and wrote a press release. The story was then this weekend picked up by Voice of America and so on Saturday I did an interview over the phone with one of their reporters Kari in Kenya.
Mike Pflanz, The Daily Telegraph’s Africa Correspondent, notes that “Wildlife Direct is a new idea in conservation terms…“:
I come across a lot of charities and international organisations in my work, most doing admirable jobs in tough situations where, without them, little would get done.
But most move very, very slowly. There are procedures and procurements, tendered bids and bureaucracy. Wildlife Direct, a new idea in conservation terms, sidesteps a lot of that. Without wanting to sound like a spokesman for them, I’m pretty impressed (ok, I know I sound like a spokesman, but hear me out).
They’re setting up blogs written by the rangers in the parks. They’re getting pretty good hits, too. When you go online, you can read what the teams have been up to, where the gorillas are moving to, new births (two babies in the last three months in Virunga’s southern sector – pretty rare) and so on.
Then, you can send some cash, which is distributed immediately on the ground by the Frankfurt Zoological Society, a key partner of the Congolese wildlife service which has been operating in the country since the 1950s.
The Christian Science Monitor writes:
The idea is simple. Wildlife Direct acts as a conduit for information, supporting conservation workers in hazardous and remote locations.
The organization, which is registered in Washington, has sent Web wizards out to Africa, where they have established a series of online blogs, written by conservationists, rangers, and bush veterinarians, detailing their daily struggle to safeguard endangered animals.
These blogs by the Congo park rangers are one of many examples of why blogging matters and the value it can add to institutions, individuals, and society in general, even in places where the digital divide is enormous.
Related Links:
The Great Apes Survival Project
International Gorilla Conservation Programme
Dr. Richard Leakey explains WildlifeDirect (video)
Peru: The Grupo Néctar Tragedy
· 05:53
Translator's Note: On May 13, Peruvians awoke to the news that thirteen members of a popular musical group, Grupo Néctar, comprised mainly of Peruvian immigrants in Argentina who had succeeded in building a strong following both in Argentina and Peru, had been killed in a horrific automobile accident in Buenos Aires. In this article, Juan Arellano discusses this tragedy, and more importantly what this group's popularity has to say about changes in contemporary Peruvian society, as people from Lima's more working-class neighborhoods and Peru's provinces, and their musical and entertainment tastes, transforms the state of popular Peruvian culture. End of Translator's Note.
I don't think I'd be mistaken if I say that Sunday, Mother's Day in Peru, was celebrated with the music of Grupo Néctar. Many radio stations played their songs, and I bet at many of the private celebrations throughout the country, their music was played. The reason? The news of the tragic death of the entire group in Buenos Aires. It would have been sad news if just one of the members of this Peruvian musical group had died, but the tragedy in this case is that the entire group was killed, except two members who happened to have been in Lima at the time.
Grupo Néctar was formed in 1995 by singer Johnny Orozco in Argentina, where he was living and working. Ten years later, the group's career also ended in that same country. There are rumors the automobile accident which provoked this tragedy might have been intentionally caused by the mafias who control the musical circles in the Argentine capital, but to date nothing has been confirmed.
Today, I was in different parts of Lima, where radio stations continue to pay homage to this group by playing their songs. The evening news reported that other Peruvian musicians of the same genre were in the process of writing a song in memory of the group. Bloggers have also had a massive reaction to the news of these sad events. At Diario de IQT (ES), Paco Bardales writing from the steamy Amazonian city of Iquitos, explains what Grupo Néctar signified in recent Peruvian musical terms:
un terrible accidente de tránsito ocurrido en Buenos Aires se ha llevado a mejor vida al grupo Néctar, uno de los más importantes referentes de la música popular peruana … los liderados por Johny Orozco (qepd) han sido parte del soundtrack de ese vertiginoso panorama social que nos tocó en el quinquenio final del siglo XX. Claro, aquel que nos legó a Fujimori, Laura Bozzo, Susy Díaz, los cómicos ambulantes, Montesinos, los diarios comprados por la mafia, la movida de Janet Barboza, las marchas estudiantiles contra la dictadura, el calor tropical de Ruth Karina, … Néctar es parte de esa gloria chicha que encumbró a agrupaciones que antes no habían tenido el favor de los medios de comunicación (más preocupados en mirar para afuera que desde adentro) … la “cultura combi” no solo fue un intento de barbarización y enajenación colectiva, sino también (sospecho que sin querer) un primer vehículo de reivindicación de las periferias y las provincias, una auténtica revolución pacífica, sabrosa y tumultuosa que bajaba desde los cerros y, al fin, pudo convertir en realidad el sueño de Chacalón y Los Shapis de trascender las carreteras y polladas y ganar un espacio en la actualidad oficial.
Grupo Néctar had humble origins, like the majority of Peruvian groups playing cumbia, technocumbia, chicha, or whatever you want to call it, whose origins are in the provinces or the peripheries of Lima. Its success was due to its talent and hard work. As they say, they made it. In ¡¡Y no paran de soñar!! (ES), blogger Bruno Ortiz tells us his version of those years:
En la capital se rompió (por segunda vez, por lo menos que yo recuerde) la barrera que permitió el ingreso de música popular de provincia (la sierra y la selva) y que hasta antes de ese momento era considerada por muchos (aunque ahora lo puedan negar) “para cholos”. … La tecnocumbia y las toadas se bailaban en todas las fiestas de todo el país. Y, por supuesto, en las fiestas de la universidad. Todos se sabían las letras de las canciones de moda. Incluso muchas de las escenas que nos llaman la atención y nos causan gracia de aquellos reportajes sobre las fiestas chicha, en donde los asistentes cantan a voz en cuello, con la cara compungida, con lágrimas en los ojos y con la cerveza en la mano, se podían repetir hasta en las fiestas más exclusivas de la capital… y siempre con la misma música de fondo. Yo creo que por eso, esta tragedia le ha movido el piso un poco a todos. Todos nos sabíamos esa canción o por lo menos la habíamos escuchado más de una vez. Creo que por eso hay tanta información sobre el tema disponible en la red y que por eso casi todos los medios de comunicación le han dedicado espacios tan grandes al tema (para El Comercio fue su nota principal de portada.. ¿increíble, no?).
Although, as some say it was incredible El Comercio [mentioned this tragedy] in [its main] headline, [the newspaper] did not refer to them as Grupo Néctar, but as “thirteen Peruvians who died in Buenos Aires”. For those who don't know the song referred to in the previous post, it is called El Arbolito, The Little Tree. This is Grupo Néctar's most well-known song, and the video is linked in many of the posts mentioned. The author of Luna Antagónica (ES), tells us her personal feelings about the group:
De Lima a Carabayllo, de combi en combi, de fiesta patronal a fiesta patronal, en la alegría comunal, en las salidas de campo, bailar con la gente, coreando sus canciones, viéndolos en vivo. En toda fiesta, Néctar y su cumbia deliciosa, se han ido… dan ganas de llorar..
Despite the pain and sadness, in Un sitio muy personal (ES), blogger Jorge reminds us that these sorts of situations can be overcome and serve to not let us be defeated:
A veces está cantada y sólo se la espera q llegue, a veces es “suave”, a veces es despiadada, y a veces llega de golpe, como una maldita entrometida. Sin embargo cada promesa que se lleva la muerte se convierte, como una venganza de los q quedan, en parte de la leyenda que nos da fuerza para seguir adelante.
There are many blogs that have posted about this event. Here is a list of the ones I have been able to see, and I hope I haven't missed many:
Diario de IQT: Tragedy: Grupo Néctar killed in a traffic accident in Argentina and Néctar, in Heaven (with Sarita Farfán)
Peruanista: Videos of the tragedy of Grupo Néctar and a brief history of the Peruvian cumbia
Blog de Notas: Music: Why is Grupo Néctar remembered so much?
¡¡Y no paran de sonar!!: Why is Grupo Néctar remembered so much?
Pueblo Vruto: The Little Tree
Utilisimos: A little tree has wilted
El blog del morsa: tragedy: grupo néctar has died
mundo chanfainita: Goodbye Grupo Néctar
Un sitio muy personal: Grupo Néctar, from Argentina to Heaven
Luna Antagónica: Néctar makes us want to cry…
De todo un poco: [Video] First images of the accident in which the members of the Peruvian group Grupo Néctar were killed
MEDIA PERU: The tragic disappearance of Grupo Néctar
Todo musica: [Video] Accident of the musical group Grupo Néctar
El Golpedegato: Peru: Tragedy of Grupo Nectar in Google News
RCPAL Takillakta: Video, Musical group Grupo Néctar killed in accident in Argentina
DttodoMúsica: [Video] Members of musical group Grupo Néctar killed
Radio Alfil: Grupo NÉCTAR, the tragedy, Causes of the tragic accident on Highway 25 de Mayo under investigation, and Néctar, a cycle ends
El útero de marita: La cholósfera se despide del Grupo Néctar
Océano de Mercurio: “Néctar” y mi canción de combi favorita
Farandula Tv.: Mueren integrantes del grupo “Nectar”
Sonidazo: Vídeo Grupo Néctar - El arbolito
Angelux: Adios al Grupo Nectar - Descansen en Paz
El Blog de Veperu: Grupo Nectar…
Blog de FiZeR: Tragedia con el Grupo Nectar
And some more links:
What Lima's El Comercio says about Grupo Néctar.
RPP radio special on Grupo Néctar.
The latest on Grupo Néctar at Google News.
Videos of Grupo Néctar on You Tube.
Peruvian Cumbia Forums, with testimonies and messages of condolences about Grupo Néctar.
I can't think of anything else to say. I imagine Grupo Néctar would like people to continue to listen to their music, so go ahead and do so.
Translated by Alejandro García.
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