Archive for
May 30th, 2007
Stories
One Caribbean; Many Identities…
· 20:55
Calypsonian Lord Nelson once sang, “all ah we is one family”. Optimists in the Caribbean may well agree with these words, but the reality is that if you were to describe Caribbean states as a family, you would have to call it a complex unit - and one in which there is much sibling rivalry. Caribbean bloggers Geoffrey Philp (Jamaican writer), Guyana Media Critic aka Living Guyana and Francis Wade (Jamaican management consultant) recently shared their personal views about this complex region with me.
What it means to be Caribbean
“Caribbean means being a part of one of the most interesting, though unintended, social experiments in the world”, says Geoffrey Philp who lives in Miami. “Within this archipelago, we have people from all over the planet meeting and trying to live together without resorting to genocide…
“In Miami, we all tend to try to get along because we are in a minority, so we have to get along. That said, whenever the fight bruk out, they usually tend to be along the lines of stereotypes, which are really ways for not thinking for yourself. And some people don’t want to think for themselves.”
Living Guyana describes the Caribbean as “a unique collection of people strung together by a common history and increasingly and perhaps irreversibly influenced by Americana.
“It’s a usually change-resistant conglomeration in desperate need of real political and economic unification. One troubling feature of Caribbean life is that despite the obvious need for real political and economic fusion, there is a significant degree of resistance to this in some quarters.” While he admits that there is a common fun-loving thread which binds Caribbean cultural and social life, he says there are also subtle differences that define each particular island such as lingo, food and self-image. “But at the very core,” he says, “we are a singular people bound by a common and undeniable history.”
Yet not all people automatically buy in to the concept of “one Caribbean”. For Francis Wade to emotionally connect to this notion of “one Caribbean”, it took the persuasion of a Trini friend that “we were all one Caribbean people”, and a vacation to Trinidad, which felt familiar to him: “It looked like Jamaica; it felt like Jamaica.”
There are many answers to this question of Caribbean identity, as Caribbean Free Radio, and the BBC have discovered.
For some, national identity brings its own challenges. To Living Guyana, being Guyanese means “regrettably, inherent discrimination both internally and externally. It means being perceived as being disadvantaged but it simultaneously means having to be diligent and committed to perseverance in order to succeed. It means being resilient and more open to Caribbean integration. It means being naturally hospitable and warm. It means being proud.”
West Indian versus Caribbean
Many people use the terms “West Indian” and “Caribbean” interchangeably. Yet the question still remains, is there a distinction between the terms “West Indian” and “Caribbean”? Living Guyana thinks it’s “mere semantics”, while Wade uses the terms interchangeably: “Logically I know that Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, and Martinique are Caribbean,” he says. “Caribbean primarily means English-speaking, Caribbean Basin country, but I include Bahamas and Belize in there although they are not really a part of the Caribbean Basin.”
Philp, on the other hand, has a clear distinction about the terms:
“West Indies refers to the former colonies of England – mostly English speaking. ‘Caribbean’ refers to the whole gumbo: English, French, Spanish, patwa, what-have-you speaking archipelago of islands, and the coastal regions of South and Central Americas. You could even extend the definition to places in North America such as the recently colonized Miami and the older cities in Louisiana and the Carolinas or Plantation America.”
Caribbean Unity
In her Global Voices post Bombastic?, Janine Mendes-Franco writes, “The Caribbean, as a region, manages to operate quite well when it comes to endeavours like The University of the West Indies and West Indies Cricket (recent events concerning the latter notwithstanding).” Francis Wade attempted to provide an explanation about Jamaican attitudes:
“We don’t even think about fighting in Jamaica. We just want to do our own thing. We like to be together when it works, and we like to be apart when we’re apart. The Federation fell apart primarily because the DLP saw that opposing it was a way to win the elections. If they had been more enlightened they would not have pushed so hard for a referendum then, and history would have gone differently.
“Now, because of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) more Jamaicans are identifying with being Caribbean. Luckily, many Caribbean businesses operate across borders. It’s about when will it become easier to do business, when will barriers be moved? It’s a question of when, not if.”
Although Philp thinks that Caribbean people “don’t want them (Federation and CSME) to work”, he is quick to give an optimistic outlook on Caribbean people’s ability to work together.
“When we are united, we are unstoppable,” he explains enthusiastically. “Look at the work of that generation that fought for independence on a united front across the national borders. They fell apart once they gained independence, but the unity was tremendous and unparalleled.
It is a sad fact that humans rarely get together unless it is to fight a real enemy. We have no ‘enemies’ so we’ve decided to kill ourselves.”
There are those like Don Mitchell from the Corruption Free Anguilla blog who look forward to becoming part of “an integral part of the independent and sovereign nation known as the West Indies”. He describes the West Indies as “a country that is coming into existence. It does not yet have a flag or a national anthem”.
Economic Rivalry
While Francis Wade recently blogged about “some significant announcements related to acquisitions across the Caribbean region”,Living Guyana thinks that Caribbean people’s gripe with one another stem from “the varying responses to political and economic unification, and the stereotyping of each other without any initiative on the part of CARICOM or individual governments to redress this”.
Coming Together Despite Differences
Apart from some similarities stemming from their shared histories, a Trini is different to a Barbadian, who in turn is different from a Jamaican,” writes Francis Wade. Defined by its complex characteristics, the Caribbean brand is one that is often used by its states. Yet some see the need to distance themselves from it when it is attacked. According to Barbados Free Press, “When you have declared yourself to be a family member, your brother’s reputation is yours.”
Although Caribbean people’s differences can sometimes create division among them, they also know how to rally around each other and to feel proud of each others’ achievements. Philp, Wade and Living Guyana all agree that the Caribbean will benefit fro harnessing the strengths of its members. In fact, Living Guyana prophesies that:
”The governments of the Caribbean will find themselves in a situation where they are forced to formalize and institutionalize Caribbean people, through travel, work, business, trade, sex, and relationships, are already charting the course.”
11 comments · »»Swahili Blogosphere: Higher Education Blame Game, Miss Universe, and Personal Privacy vs. Public Life
· 19:35
Hardship is the name of the game, it seems, for Tanzania's higher education students both at home and abroad. While the University of Dar Es Salaam has readmitted all the suspended students after the recent students' strike over ‘unaffordable fees', another crisis over students funds ensues for Tanzanians in Ukraine. About 29 Tanzanian students at Ukraine-based Kharkov University have been suspended from the university due to lack of school fees. The students have been camping at the British High Commission. Tanzania's opposition parties have created a special emergency fund to help the abandoned students amidst government denial of all the students' claims.
Muhidin Issa Michuzi and Maggid Mjengwa have posted photos of the students outside the British embassy. A comment in Michuzi blog sums up the question in everyone's mind:
Hivi hao vijana walifikaje huko kama sio kwa kupelekwa na serikali?? sasa yawaje hii leo serikali inawakana kwamba haiwatambui?
While the recent student's saga has been covered by few bloggers, many bloggers have be been following closely all the news about the Tanzanian contestant at Miss Universe 2007 , Ms Flaviana Matata. Michuzi has a number of posts about Miss universe urging his readers to vote for Flaviana. So is Zeze and Charahani.
Chemi Che Mponda wonders if it will be ‘our Flaviana' this time, noting her shaved head,which is uncharacteristic of previous Miss Universe winners.
Mjengwa is proud of Flaviana:
Mimi sintamwita Flaviana ” Binti yetu”. Huyu sasa ni mwanamke wetu anayetutangaza duniani. Anafanya kazi ngumu iliyowashinda “Wanaume” wengi katika jamii yetu. Tunamtakia kila la kheri…
And, slowly but surely, Tanzanian bloggers are getting closer to the formalisation of Jumuiya ya Wanablogu Tanzania (the community of Tanzanian bloggers). They have already discussed the basic structure of their community and now the interim committee has invited bloggers to declare their intentions to stand for elections. Luihamu, Ramadhan Msangi, Damija and Kitururu have already expressed their wishes to contest for different positions.
Hoping to help building an effective and ethical Tanzanian online community, Jeff Msangi writes about internet predators posing as teenagers. He urges Tanzanians netizens to abide by the netizens code of conduct:
Wapo watu wazima chungu mbovu ambao kazi yao ni kutafuta watoto wadogo mitandaoni,kuwarubuni,kuwafanya kitu mbaya na hata kuwaua.Inawezekana kirahisi kwani mtandaoni mtu anaweza kujiandikisha kwa kudanganya kila kitu.Babu wa miaka 90 anaweza kujiandikisha kama mtoto wa miaka 10 nk. Nchi zinazoendelea kama Tanzania yetu ni lazima nazo ziamke mapema inavyowezekana katika kuwalinda watoto wa nchi.
On the road, photoblogger Maggid Mjengwa, who travels around country Tanzania on regular basis and posts photos on his popular photoblog, gave a presentation on citizen journalism to Communications students at the Muslim University in Morogoro, Tanzania. During his presentation, they discussed, among other topics, issues that dominate the front pages of Tanzanian newspapers, particularly the recent marriage breakup of one of the youngest members of parliament, Hon. Amina Chifupa.
Swahili blogosphere has not been spared from Amina Chifupa's private affairs either. After some of the newspapers in Tanzania splashed the news about Hon. Amina Chifupa marriage breakup, the big question remains: Should private lives of politicians saturate the media? Should the public care about what a politician does at home?
Some of the bloggers who have written about it are Chemi Che Mponda, photoblogger Muhidin Michuzi ,Mroki ,who posted a photo of journalists waiting eagerly for the divorced MP press conference; and Mzawa.
Chemi Che Mponda feels for Amina Chifupa:
Miaka mingi nimekuwa nikifuatilia habari zake. Lakini hii miaka ya ya karibuni maisha yake yameanikwa hadharani na kushabikiwa kama vile maisha ya hao stars wa Hollywood. Yaani maisha yake imekuwa kama Tanzanian Soap Opera. Ni kama vile papparazzi wanavyofuatilia maisha ya Paris Hilton hapa Marekani… Kwa kweli tangu jana nilisikitika sana nilivyosikia kuwa mume wake kampa TALAKA! …
And lastly, Ndesanjo writes about the annual Highway Africa Conference taking place in September 10-13 in South Africa. He asks journalists to apply for a scholarship to attend the conference.
2 comments · »»Arabeyes: 1001 Tales from Libyan Taxi Rides
· 12:42
Can taking a taxi be an eye-opening experience to the society you live in? Libyan blogger Libyano** takes us on a ride of a lifetime in the following translation, which gives him the chance to contemplate on his society, the behaviour of young men and the antics of some taxi drivers.
It all started when his car decided to take a break from its normal activities.
I cannot start to describe all the guys standing in a crowd as if they were in a football stadium. I just don't understand what they see standing there like that. This is just a good example of how these men were raised because I see them standing there with no shame and the sad part of all this is that I sometimes see men the same age as my father, standing in front of a girls' high school, checking out the girls there. I really don't know what the solution for this problem is but I usually avoid driving by any girls' high school when I am taking my mother around town to avoid embarrassment as I fear I would see an undesirable scene of sexual harassment.
It really hurts to see such young men and how shallow they can be. Everything is so superficial, all they care about is their hair cut, sun glasses and some are so young that they still don't even have any facial hair. Yet you see them smoking and making clouds of smoke from their mouths. And of course, we can't forget those that just love to show off with their cars, drifting, twirling and doing all these crazy moves - guys cruising around the neighborhoods with music banging out of their cars. Some men even listen to Zemzamat, which are old ladies singing and are usually performed in weddings.
If it was up to me, I would whip them with a green stick and make them look like zebras so next time they pass by any girls' high school, they would lower their head and carry on their way and none of these shameful acts would happen.
لو سمحت معليشي ممكن تصكره
علاش
دوشة يا خوي
شني نحطو حاجة هادية
لالا صكره وخلاص
باهي تسمع لجورج
لالا , اسمع ردلنا الشيخ الدوكالي وخلاص
لالا ياسره خلاص
سكتت معاش عرفت شني بنقول لكن لما نزلت ما خلتهاش في خاطري و قلتله ربي يهديك انشاء الله
تليفون السواق شرين, انا مكسرتش ودني لكن الصوت كان واضح صوت بنت , قاللها اسمع انا مش فاضي توا وتو نكلمك بعدين , لكن هي ما بطلتش دوة وهو اتكي علي المرش و مرة مرة يتميتم ويقول حتي اني , هلبة مش شوية, حتي اني , لالا , توا نجي , حتي اني, حتي انى علي اساس مرزرز باهي قولها فقش انحبك ولا استاحشتك وفكني من تفلفيز الرقبة طول الطريق حتي اني حتي انى قريب قلتله حتي انى , و يسكر ويشرين تليفونه مرة وثنين وثلاثة ونفس القصة لين قعدت نشبح لتليفوني ونستني في اي حد يتصل باش نتكي علي المرش حني اني ونقول حتي اني .
** Libyano was kind enough to translate the Libyan phrases I couldn't understand.
0 comments · »»Japan: “Thought Check” Screening for Citizen Judges
· 07:28
While news in Japan this week has been understandably fixated on the sensational suicide of Agriculture Minister Matsuoka Toshikatsu (and related scandals), as is often the case in this country, another story — somewhat less sensational yet arguably at least as significant — slipped by without much notice. The story was brought up in a blog entry posted last Saturday at the “doko doko” blog of Diet member Nobuto Hosaka of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, the most active member in the House of Representatives (in terms of number of questions raised) and known for being a thorn in the side of the ruling party coalition. Saturday's post concerned a new “citizen judge system” to be introduced in Japan by May 2009, one which would allow, for the first time in Japan's history, a group of six citizen judges (along with 3 professional judges) to preside on cases involving verdicts as serious as the death penalty. (A simulation of the selection process for choosing citizen judges is already being carried out.)
To understand the significance of the new citizen judge system, it is useful to review some basic facts about the judicial system in Japan. On paper at least, Japan's judicial system boasts impressive figures, with a staggeringly high 99.8% conviction rate and an 86.6% rate of “full confession by the accused”. And yet, as was recently revealed in the dramatic story of a group of suspects in a vote-buying case, forced, among other things, to shout confessions out a window and stomp on the names of loved ones, these figures hide much more than they actually reveal.
Surely one of the most vocal critics of the justice system in Japan has been long-time writer, activist and blogger Arudou Debito. If you are picked up by police in Japan, Debito explains that:
You are in for a rough time. There is no writ of Habeas Corpus in Japan, which means Japanese police can hold you for up to 23 days (3 days' initial interrogation, extendable by 10 days a maximum of twice if a judge approves. Which he will–judges rarely deny public prosecutors the privilege unless a lawyer intervenes.). There have been cases of extraction of information (signed confessions that detainees could not read) through physical and mental duress (beatings, lack of sleep and basic amenities, denial of outside communication, consular contact, or legal counsel) carried out by chain-smoking tag-team interrogators. Detention by the Japanese police is one of the larger nightmares you can experience in Japan.
More recently, blogger Pellegrini at Trans-Pacific Radio put together a very detailed overview of the problem of forced confessions in Japan, noting that:
Maximum pressure, such as withholding meals, physical coersion, and sleep deprivation, is applied by police and investigators to make sure that a confession is signed.
It is worth noting that the justice system enables all of this. Videotapes and recordings are not needed (indeed they’re not allowed!) in the interrogation room; naturally, there are many cases where forced confessions have occurred. It is likely that a significant percentage of those forced confessions are indeed false. The fact that defense lawyers habitually warn investigators against forcing confessions from their clients is evidence both that forced confessions happen and that defense lawyers are allowed little or no participation when interrogations take place.
It is only against this backdrop of the chronic problem of forced confessions that Hosaka's blog entry can really be understood. The blog entry is called “The hidden ‘trap' of the citizen judge system: thought checking in citizen judge interviews“, and begins:
昨日は、衆議院法務委員会で「犯罪被害者の訴訟参加」を制度化する刑事訴訟法改正案の質疑を40分行った。この最高裁と法務省とのやりとりの中で、裁判員制度の「くじで選ばれる国民の幅広い意見」という根底から揺らぐような事態が明らかになった。検察側が「警察官」を証人として出廷される時に、裁判所に対して裁判員候補に対して「あなたは警察官の捜査を信用していますか」と質問させることが出来る。「いや、信用ならないですね」と答えると「公平な裁判が保障されない」と検察官が判断して最大4人まで理由を示さずに「忌避」の手続きを行うことが出来るというものだ。
「市民の代表」として出てくる6人の裁判員たちは、検察側のフィルタリングにかけられた「警察を疑わない善意の市民」ばかりとなり、「自白の任意性」をめぐって弁護側と激しく争う事件について、大きな影響を与えるのは間違いない。「くじ」で選ばれた裁判員候補を、捜査権力が「警察の捜査への信頼度」「死刑についての考え方」などに対して「思想チェック」をして、理由を述べずに4人まで「忌避」という排除手続きを取るという仕組みが隠れていたことに愕然とする。「官」にとって、都合のいい「官を疑うことなき善良な市民」が国民全体から「くじ」で選ばれたとすれば、これは「市民の司法参加・偽装」そのものである。法曹三者で国民の思想信条の自由を侵すような「許しがたい設問」をつくりあげていたとすれば、看過出来ない。以下に仮記録を示しておく。来週から、国会内で「裁判員制度を問う超党派議員の会」を呼びかけ、司法の変質と暴走にブレーギをかけていきたいと思う。以下、委員会でのやりとりを再現してみよう。
The rest of the blog entry consists of the proceedings of the Diet session, translated here in their entirety:
保坂 昨日の新聞に裁判所の裁判員制度の手続きに関する最高裁規則の要綱がまとまったという記事が出ています。そこで、質問を裁判員について口頭諮問というか面接でするわけですが゛、この中に「捜査官証言」、つまり警察官等（※証人）が予定されている事件において、当事者の求めがあった場合（※検察側）、裁判長が口頭で「あなたは警察等の捜査が特に信用出来ると思う事情がありますか。あるいは、逆に特に信用出来ないという事情がありますか」と質問をし、「いいえ」と回答した場合は、何も質問しない。「はい」と回答した場合は、「それはどのような事情ですか」と質問する。その回答によって必要がある時には、「警察官等の証言の内容を検討して公平に判断することが出来ますか」と質問をし、不公平な裁判をするおそれの有無を判断する、とある。どういう意味ですかね。我々は志布志事件などで警察の捜査も行き過ぎがあるということを随分認識しています。たとえば裁判員の候補者がですね、「警察の捜査も時々、密室で行われているから行き過ぎがあるかもしれません」と言うかもしれません。どういう意図でこの設問があるのですか。
There was an article in yesterday's newspaper about the finalization of the essentials of a supreme court outline relating to procedures for the court of justice's new citizen judge system. In this article, it was explained that the citizen judges would be questioned in an oral consultation or interview. In these consultations or interviews, “investigator testimony” — i.e. in cases in which the police officer (witness) is scheduled to testify — if there is an appeal by the person concerned (prosecution), then the presiding judge can ask: “Are there any circumstances in which you would be able to trust this investigation conducted by the police and others? Or, alternatively, are there any circumstances about which you do not have particular confidence?” In cases in which the answer is “no”, no further questions are asked [of the candidate citizen judge]. In cases in which the answer is “yes”, the citizen judge is asked: “What kind of circumstances are these?” Depending on the answer to this question, if necessary, the candidate citizen judge is then asked: “Do you think you can consider the contents of the police officer's testimony and render a fair judgement?” The citizen is assessed on the basis of the existence or nonexistence of doubts about the fairness of the trial. What is the meaning of this? We are all acutely aware of the fact that there are cases, such as the Shibushi incident, in which police investigations have gone much too far. One of these citizen judge candidates might for example say: “Police investigations sometimes do things behind closed doors, so in this sense perhaps they go too far.” What is the intention of this questioning?
小川最高裁事務総局刑事局長 お答えします。公判前整理手続きをやっていく際に、捜査官証人が申請される、また予定される事件があるとわかりました時に、当事者の方から求めがあった場合に「捜査官証人の証言の信用性」について不公平な裁判をするおそれがあるかないかという点を判断をするために、今、委員の御指摘のような質問をさせていただく、ひとつの判断資料となろうかと思います。実際には、裁判体が判断されますから具体的どうなるかというのは裁判体の判断となります。
I will answer the question. In cases in which there are arrangement procedures preceding the public trial, when it becomes known either that applications are being processed for an investigator witness, or that an investigator is scheduled to appear, in cases in which the party concerned has made a request, in order to assess whether or not there is any possibility that judgement about the “confidence in the verbal testimony of the investigator witness” will be dealt with in an unfair manner, we are right now considering questions indicated by the committee member (Hosaka) so that we can use it as one reference. In a practical sense, the court makes the decision, so how things will turn out, in concrete terms, is really a judgement to be made by the court.
保坂 法務省刑事局長に聞きたいのですが、今のような捜査官が証人として出てくる場合には、おそらく自白はしている、しかし、その後に否認に転じて、「自白調書」の任意性に疑いがある場合、こういうことが多いんではないかと思います。裁判所が設問していますよね。「警察官の捜査等にどれだけ信用性を置いているかどうか」と。「私は全然信用していないんだ。最近は相当密室でおかしいと思う」と面接で言っていたら、検察官はこの裁判員候補者を忌避出来るんですね。忌避する理由になりますか。
I am asking this question to the Detective Superintendent of the Justice Ministry. In cases such as you just mentioned, in which the investigator appears as a witness, probably a confession has been made. However, what about cases in which, after the [confession], the person switches their position and issues a denial, and raises doubts about the voluntariness of the “recorded confession”? I believe that there are many cases of this kind. The court is asking questions: “Do you have trust in the investigation of the police officer?” If a candidate answers in an interview: “I have no trust at all. I think that it is strange, all these things going on behind closed doors recently,” then the investigator is able to challenge the candidacy of the citizen judge. Could this be a reason for disqualification?
（そんな事が出来るのか？ と与党席からの声。「忌避出来るんですよ。理由を示さずに４人まで忌避出来るんです。警察官はどうかなあという人に対して検察側がどう判断するかどうか」と保坂議場の与党議員に説明）
小津法務省刑事局長 この件、検察官がどのような場合に理由を示さないで忌避するかどうかということは、私どもで何も具体的に検討しているわけではないわけで、個々の事件における検察官の判断ということになろうかと思います。
保坂 法務大臣に感想を求めたいんですよ。裁判員というのはくじで選ばれるんですよね。衆議院選挙の有権者名簿で。しかし、その中で、「警察の捜査はちょっと私は信用出来ないですよ」と言った場合には、検察側から「この人、忌避」と出るかもしれない。……忌避の対象になってくると、本当に国民全体の意見を代表して、まんべんなく汲み上げた制度になるのかどうか、大変不安になってきたんですね。その点、どうですか。
I request that the Minister of Justice share his thoughts on this. The citizen judges are chosen by drawing lots. From a list of registered voters in the Lower House elections. However, in this process, in cases in which [the candidate citizen judge] says: “I have a bit of trouble placing my trust in this police investigation”, the prosecution can declare that “We challenge [the candidacy of] this citizen judge”. The citizen judge may then be excluded. ……if citizen judges become the object of such challenges, I wonder if we can really say that this is a system which draws on an even distribution of representative views of people from the entire country? I am extremely concerned. What do you think about this situation?
長勢法務大臣 裁判員制度を創設する時、当時は色々な御意見があった事を思い出します。片一方は、「こんなのが入るとみんな無罪になってしまうんじゃないか」「いや、みんな重罪になってしまうんじゃないか」という議論があったことを思い出します。
今の議論もそういうことに関連しているのかなと不安を感じますが、法曹三者において適切にですね、こういうあまり重箱のスミをつつくような法律論じゃなくて、一般の国民の良識が反映されるような裁判員制度にしていきたいと思います。
I remember that there were various views expressed when the citizen court system was being set up. “If this is in there, then won't everybody be judged innocent?”, “No, everyone will be sentenced , right?”, I remember that there were arguments like this. The concerns that you are expressing now are I believe related to those earlier arguments. However, in the three branches of government, in an appropriate manner, we are working toward a citizen judge system that reflects the good sense of the average citizen, not some kind of legal debate in which people quibble over every insignificant detail.
保坂 重箱のスミをつつくような議論をしているつもりはありません。これは裁判で裁判員制度の中で「被害者」の方が参加されるというトータルなパッケージとしての議論をしなければならない。この「忌避」ということも今、わかってきたわけなので、トータルに議論したい。
My intention is not to quibble over every insignificant detail. What we have to debate about, in a broader sense, is the participation, in the court of justice, of the “victim” within the citizen judge system. As we now understand the meaning of the “challenge” [of candidates], I want to have a thorough debate on this issue.
The blog entry was linked to by many other blogs, with 13 trackbacks listed in the comments section of the post itself. For those who can read Japanese, some good discussions on the topic can be found at the blogs of tokyodo-2005 (with many comments), niphonese and Takano Yoshimichi.
4 comments · »»Brazilian Express Loves (and jealousy) around the world
· 03:12
“Don't be a tourist / why don't you come on back to the war? / it's just beginning”. While she searches for love in Berlin's May 1st,
Cecília Giannetti sings Leonard Cohen's There is a War
The hottest discussions were about the use of public money on the project. The project asked for R$ 1,2 million (US$ 600 thousand) on fiscal licenses. The names of the invited writers were selected by the head of the project and by the writer João Paulo Cuenca (who also writes a blog, in portuguese), but the list of nominees sparked a library-fire of protest among many unchosen writers, who argued about the unclearness of the selection criteria and the unfairness of the the choices made, and about the bad use of public money. Among the chosen pleiad, some well known names to the brazilian literary public, like Sérgio Sant'Anna, Luiz Ruffato(PT) and Marçal Aquino(PT) rubbed shoulders with some other who were practically debuting on books like Antonia Pellegrino(PT) and Cecília Giannetti (who is writing a blog, in portuguese, “from the front”, here).
Angélica Freitas, one of the most loudly detached voices from the newest Brazilian poetry scene wrote on March:
acho que muita gente reclama desse projeto porque, bueno, não foi incluída nele. porque nunca vai conseguir pisar no cairo ou em são petersburgo se não for num projeto desses. também tem muita gente neste país que não sabe escrever projeto de captação de recursos. querem dinheiro? ter um bom projeto e se mexer é um começo. mas estou aqui para dizer que é bem fácil viajar. basta pegar um ônibus que te deixe na estrada e estender o polegar. querem material pra escrever? taí a dica. querem viajar de graça? taí a dica.
neugebauer - tome uma xícara de chá
i think that many of those who complain about this project are doing so because, well, they weren't included in it. because they will never be able to put a foot on cairo or saint petersburg if not by means of a project like this. there is also a lot of people on this country that doesn't know how to write a resource raising project. do you want money? to have a good project and move it on is a good start. but i'm here to tell that is quite easy to travel. you must have to take a bus that leaves you at the road and them extend the thumb. do you want material to write? here's the tip. do you want to travel for free? here's the tip.
neugebauer - take a cup of tea
And the level of critics got higher when the writer Marcelo Mirisola (PT, reader discretion), which is not on the project, sent a letter to the major Brazilian newspaper, Folha de S. Paulo (PT), saying that the project was
uma ação entre “amigos de farra”, com “um ou dois figurões acima de qualquer suspeita” para disfarçar.
Polêmica expressa - Todoprosa
a plan between “carousing friends”, with “one or two bigshots above any suspicion” to disguise.
Express Polemic - Todoprosa
The public money financing the project was the most sensitive question in the matter. In Brazil, this polemic is becoming unsustainable, to a point that the law created to stimulate culture became a bad business to art and artists but being, besides, a very good business for private sponsors who can dismiss federal taxes by supporting such projects. Joca Reiners Terron, that is now on Cairo, gave a strong answer to the critics on a rather strong-worded post called “Dears Sons of a Bitch”.
O dinheiro que entrará no meu bolso (R$10 mil pelos direitos de adaptação audiovisual do romance que escreverei …) virá do bolso do Rodrigo Teixeira, dono da produtora RT Features e criador do projeto. A grana que financiará filmes, documentários, extras de dvd ou o que caralho for, virá de um projeto inscrito na Lei Rouanet que está tramitando nos corredores do Ministério da Cultura e, conseqüentemente, ainda não foi aprovado, além da bufunfa que lhe corresponde ainda não ter sido captada. Quando e se for, eu já terei entregue meu romance (cujos direitos de adaptação já foram vendidos) e diretamente (tá tá tá: eu sei, também sou contribuinte; tá tá tá: eu também acho que é chegada a hora de reformas drásticas na Lei Rouanet), não terei mais nada a ver com isso; Entendeu ou quer que eu repita, filho-da-puta?
Hotel Hell
The money that will enter my pocket (US$ 5 thousand for audiovisual adaptation rights of the novel I will write…) are coming from the pocket of Rodrigo Teixeira, owner of RT Features and head of the project. The buck that will finance the movies, documentaries, dvd extras or the hell that comes, will come from the project enrolled at Rouanet Law that is now moving in at the corridors of the Ministry of Culture and, consequently, it was not yet approved. When (and if yes) it would be approved, I would have delivered my novel (whose rights of adaptation already had been sold) and directly (ok, I know, I am also a contributor; ok: I also think that is time of drastic reforms in the Rouanet Law), I will have nothing more to do with this; Do you understood or want me to repeat, son-of-a-beach?
Hotel Hell
The polemic provoked a forest fire of discord between groups of writers. After the conflagration, Cecília Giannetti, that is now in Berlin and took the picture that opens this post, wrote on her blog:
Não tenho outra maneira de justificar minha participação neste projeto além de me empenhar em escrever o melhor que eu puder a história que ele pede de mim. A pressão aumenta por estar ao lado de nomes como Sergio Sant'Anna, Lourenço Mutarelli, Luiz Ruffato, Marçal Aquino, Bernardo Carvalho, nomes de outras gerações que os estreantes e recém-lançados autores incluídos no projeto já lemos e respeitamos. Assustador. Do No Mínimo - Escrevescreve.
I don't have other way to justify my participation in this project unless pledging myself into doing my best in writing the history that is being asked from me. The pressure is increased because i'm side by side with names like Sergio Sant'Anna, Lourenço Mutarelli, Luiz Ruffato, Marçal Aquino, Bernardo Carvalho, names from another generation that the debutantes and just-published authors in the project read and respect. Frightful.
From No Mínimo - Escrevescreve.
The weeks have passed and the first writers begun to show theirs works produced on the cities. Six writers are comming back, or had already came back, from their trips. Another ten are packing for their adventures the next months. The books may take a while before they reach the markets, but it is possible to keep a watch over the development of the project by reading the writer's blogs.
Antonio Prata, who had already completed his journey, wrote in his blog, from Shangai:
Do outro lado do mundo fica um país gigante chamado China. Nesse país há uma imensa cidade chamada Xangai. Nessa cidade tem uma rua não tão grande assim de nome Shaoxing Lu. No número 76 da Shaoxing Lu há uma viela. No fundo da viela fica um cano.
Se você pegar um avião e viajar 27 horas até a China, descer do avião em Xangai, entrar num táxi, saltar no número 76 da Shaoxing Lu, andar até o fim da viela e abaixar-se, poderá notar que ali naquele cano, na viela do número 76 da Shaoxing Lu, em Xangai, na China, um gato afiou suas unhas.
Do outro lado do mundo - Blog do Antonio Prata
On the other side of the world there is a giant country called China. In this country there is an immense city called Shanghai. In this city there is a street, that is not very big, with name Shaoxing Lu. At number 76 of Shaoxing Lu there is a side street. In the end of the side street there is a pipe.
If you catch an airplane and take a 27 hours trip to China, climb down from the airplane in Shangai, get a taxicab and jump out of it at the number 76 of Shaoxing Lu street, then take a walk until the end of the side street and bend down, you will be able to notice that there in that pipe, at the side street by the number 76 on the Shaoxing Lu street, in Shangai, China, a cat sharpened its nails.
On the other side of the world - Antonio Prata's Blog
João Paulo Cuenca, who is in Tokyo, describes in his blog the experience of sleep on a capsule hotel:
Ignoro a advertência ilustrada sobre a proibição de homens tatuados e bêbados – sou um deles – e entro. Recebo uma chave (3021), um roupão e duas toalhas, assim como breves instruções em japonês. Vou ao vestiário e troco de roupa. … Nos banheiros coletivos cheirando a cigarro, velhos japoneses assoam o nariz daquele jeito que só velhos japoneses conseguem assoar o nariz. Reúno coragem e resolvo procurar minha cápsula. Ela fica no terceiro andar (são cinco). Para minha sorte – ou azar, não sei – minha gaveta fica na altura do chão. Acima dela, alguém dorme. E também no andar de cima. No andar de baixo. E nos lados. Nesse hotel cápsula, as gavetas não tem porta, apenas uma pequena cortina de bambu que, além de luz, deixa entrar barulho. Privacidade não há. … Faz calor dentro do caixão. Durmo um sono de seis horas cheio de sobressaltos (acordo toda vez que alguém pisa no corredor) e tenho sonhos bizarros… Dentro do sonho, pego meu caderno de sonhos dentro do sonho e anoto o sonho dentro do sonho. Isso é uma recorrência, aliás, e talvez a melhor literatura que jamais produzirei. Às nove, uma mensagem ressoa dentro da cápsula. Não entendo do que se trata e volto a dormir. Às nove e meia, nova mensagem, e o eco de música clássica pelos corredores. Um homem abre a cortina da minha cápsula abruptamente. O tempo acabou.
Encaixotado - Blog do Cuenca
I ignore the illustrated warning on the prohibition of tattooed and drunken men - I'm one of them - and enter. I receive a key (3021), a bath robe and two towels, as well as brief instructions in Japanese. I go to the dressing room and change my clothes. … In the collective bathrooms smelling of cigarette smoke, old Japanese guys blows their noses in a way that only old Japanese guys can do it. I gather courage and decide to look for my capsule. It is in the third floor (there are five of them). For my good luck - or bad luck, I don't know - my drawer is at the floor level. Above it, somebody sleeps. And also in the one above, below and sideways. In this capsule hotel, the drawers do not have a door, but only a small bamboo curtain that, besides light, doesn't block the noise either. The is no privacy. … It is hot inside the coffin. I sleep a six hour slumber full of fright (I wake up every time somebody steps on in the corridor) and I have strange dreams. … Inside the dream, I catch my dream notepad inside of the dream and write down the dream inside of the dream. This is a recurrence, by the way, and perhaps the best literature that I will ever produce. At nine o'clock, a message resounds inside of the capsule. I don't understand and come back to sleep. At nine thirty, a new message, and the echo of classic music on the corridors. A man abruptly opens the curtain of my capsule. The time is over.
Boxed - Cuenca's Blog
Daniel Galera, another young writer, has just arrived from Buenos Aires. In his blog he gives a declaration that, in some way, summarizes all these controversy and searching for love:
Já de volta a São Paulo, ruminando fotos e memórias. Tenho uma história rabiscada na mente. Acho que ela poderia se passar em qualquer lugar, mas se passará em Buenos Aires, uma cidade de carnes tenras, mulheres elegantes e ruas planas que mimam os andarilhos com cafés e livrarias inesgotáveis. (…) Hoje entendo muito melhor uma frase de Bataille que usamos em 2001 para apresentar o selo editorial Livros do Mal ao mundo: “A literatura não é inocente, e, culpada, ela enfim deveria se confessar como tal.” Eu confesso. Confesso tudo. Sou culpado e, nos próximos meses, tentarei redigir mais um capítulo dessa confissão.
De Volta - Blog do Daniel Galera
I'm back to São Paulo, ruminating photos and memories. I have a history scribbled on my mind. I guess it could be placed anywhere, but it will be in Buenos Aires, an elegant city of soft meats, elegant women and plain streets that caress the wanderers with endless coffees and bookstores. (…) Now I understand much better that quote by Bataille that we used back in 2001 to present the publishing label Livros do Mal to the world: “Literature is not innocent, and, guilty, at last it should have to confess itself as such.” I confess. I confess everything. I am guilty and, in the next months, I will try to write another chapter of this confession.
Back - Daniel Galera's Blog
And in the next months, also, another writers ambark to their trips. Here's the list:
May: Amilcar Bettega (Istanbul) and Joca Reiners Terron (Cairo).
June: Adriana Lisboa (Paris), Luiz Ruffato (Lisbon), Chico Mattoso (Havana), Lourenço Mutarelli (New York) and Reinaldo Moraes (Mexico City).
September: Antonia Pellegrino (Mumbai), Bernardo Carvalho (Saint Petersburg), Marçal Aquino (Rome) and Sérgio Sant’Anna (Prague).
The writer's blogs can be found at the project's web site: Amores Expressos (in portuguese).
2 comments · »»Panama: Political Season Heating Up, The Return of Noriega, and Crime in Panama: a Love Story
· 00:23
#1: Panama Guide meditates on the always controversial Panamanian elections: Political Season Heating Up, Slowly
It may seem like it's still very early to be talking about the next national Panamanian election which will not be held until May of 2009. But in fact this is when politics in Panama are genuinely interesting because all of the obvious questions have not yet been defined. For example, who is going to be the candidate for the PRD for President? Everyone knows that Martin Torrijos would like to be followed by Samuel Lewis Navarro, but now the job at hand is pulling that off, and first they have to get past the elections for the National Executive Committee (CEN) and then a national PRD primary. Other serious contenders are ex-President Ernesto Perez Balladares who very much wants to return to power. The third wheel is Panama City Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro, who apparently is willing to be a team player for the strategic and long-term good of the party. Balbina Herrera, ex-Dignity Battalion Commander, National Assembly deputy for San Miguelito and current Minister of Housing is a force of nature in Panamanian politics. Read more…
#2: Panama's Noriegaville News reviews the possible actions the Panamanian government could take facing the imminent return of ex-General Manuel Antonio Noriega to this country: "Getting to host the general."
We're only 4 months away from Manuel Antonio's release from the US prison where he's being held. The media in Panama produce nothing but a deafening silence on the subject, but behind that the Norieguista government is bustling with activity to assure that things will run smoothly.
There is, The Noriegaville News learned, for example a plan in which Torrijos
Jr. gives Noriega a similar reception as the latter gave Torrijos Sr. in 1969, when the dictator returned to Panama to counter a coup that had been mounted against him while in Mexico. Torrijos Sr. arrived in David in a plane he had borrowed from his friend the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza, and there Noriega had prepared a triumph caravan by car to the capital. Believe it or not, but a similar event - Noriega walking or being driven in some sort of Papal vehicle from the airport to his house - is in its early stages of preparation for when the narco-tyrant returns to Panama…To read the complete article visit Noriegaville News…
#3: Boquete Guide reports on expatriate living in Panama "Immigration - Visas have arrived, finally!"
We finally have received our Jubilado Visa’s gone are the monthly trips to immigration for renewal of temporary Visas.
The Jubilado Visa is a permanent tourist visa. It allows a holder to stay in Panama indefinitely without exiting the country. In fact exiting requires another visa entirely. As a holder you are not an immigrant in any real sense, just a tourist with some benefits.
One major benefit not listed below is that you do not need to leave Panama every 90 days for 3 days to re-enter as a tourist. Here is the official list of benefits. Continue reading…
#4: Jorge Arango shares his point of view regarding politics and life in Venezuela: Sad for Venezuela
Venezuela is an amazing, beautiful country. Although I’ve only once, I was captivated by its warm people and seemingly world-class infrastructure. I was also taken aback by its social iniquities, which were obvious even to a casual visitor like myself. (Note: Panama is not much better in this regard.)
I’m very saddened every time I hear news about the Chavez government’s latest “progressive” initiative to further consolidate their stranglehold on Venezuelan society. Tonight RCTV – one of the few mass media outlets left that is critical of the government – is being shut down; the government decided to not renew its license. Freedom of the press – a critical pilar of any healthy society – is quickly withering away. (How long will it be before they start censoring the Internet?) Read the complete post…
This is what Julia, one of his readers has to say on the subject:
It is sad indeed. Not just the closing of RCTV but the fact that for protest against it I also had to run and hide inside some buildings because the police were throwing tear gas bombs and don’t know what else. I’m frustrated. We are a beautiful country but every day we are more sad, more angry and less safe. As a Venezuelan I want to thank you for your words.
#5: Chiriqui Chatter travels to Costa Rica by road, and shares some valuable tips and information on what can you expect if you take this trip, and what you would miss if you don't: Trip to San Jose, Costa Rica
As you can see, I have returned. While it was a good trip, I am always glad to get back home. I took the TRACOPA bus from the Frontera to San Jose and the round trip price was about $20. The trip is about 7 hours by bus and that makes the trip about the same as a bus trip from David to Panama City. As always I took photos to give you a taste of what the trip was like.
….I will have to say that the road from Paso Canoas to San Jose was in very good condition. I didn’t see a single pothole. The road is only two lanes and is a pain to drive because of all the 18-wheelers. I would not want to drive this road. I think the road from Panama City to David is easier even with the potholes. Read More…
#6: Matt Landau from The Panama Report presents a common problem from a different perspective: "Crime in Panama: a love story"
It was a fairly muggy Saturday afternoon when, walking through a quiet intersection just short of Via Espana, I felt a tug at the back pocket of my jeans and turned to find a beautiful woman smiling as if I’d just kicked some game her way. It was the kind of tug that might have gone unnoticed had there not been a beautiful face not inches away from mine. We walked a few paces, our shoulders touching, our hips brushing, and our feet semi in sync. Any closer, and I’m pretty sure we’d have been having intercourse.
I looked at the girl, cute face, saddle skin tone and devious eyes like marbles, and then at her breasts which were the size of small ornamental pumpkins. She smiled back in an intimate way and I felt, for the first time in my life, I might be truly in love. A low-cut striped top and relatively tight jeans revealed a slender body that looked to be crafted for model runways and cheap beer ads. I pictured me and my honeydew girl forming a solid and meaningful relationship, perhaps some day sitting with our grandchildren and recalling the day we met. That is however, until I realized that honeydew was not flirting with me, but rather trying to steal my wallet. Read the complete post...
#7: Kleph's Kitchen shares one of Panama's traditionally loved recipes: "Sancocho"
0 comments · »»Sancocho is a classic chicken soup. It is very similar to Caldo de Gallina in Peru. As such, it is best cooked with an old laying hen than a young frying bird. The tough meats will break down nicely and there is a much richer flavor to reward the time invested. In fact that's where the name comes from, the Spanish verb sancochar, which means to parboil.
According to the Cooking Diva, what makes this version uniquely Panamanian is the use of culantro which she defines as, "is a strong flavored, aromatic herb native from Mexico and Central, and South America. It is cultivated widely all over the world, and it is used extensively in Latin American and Asian cooking." It is not cilantro or coriander. And it isn't found commonly in US cooking. Get the scoop now…
Links for Roundups
Central Asia & Caucasus
Asel is worried that the pursuit of short-term profit from tourism is ruining Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-kul.
Central Asia & Caucasus
At Life in Armenia, Raffi K. reports on real estate prices in Yerevan.
Central Asia & Caucasus
Bonnie Boyd discusses the great significance of the emerging relationship between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Central Asia & Caucasus
neweurasia says that Kazakhstan's government can use the success of Kazakhstani bicyclists to further boost the country's image.
Central Asia & Caucasus
Notes from Hairenik discusses the incredible power of seals on documents in Armenia.
Eastern & Central Europe
Peteris Cedrins of Marginalia interviews Edward Lucas, the Central and East European correspondent of The Economist - and a blogger.
Eastern & Central Europe
Siberian Light reports on the proposed merger of the Russian Communist Party with Sergei Mironov's Just Russia: “[…] I’m sure there are many within the Kremlin who would like to see the influence of the Communist Party diluted still further - although they are broadly supportive of Putin at the moment, there is no guarantee that they will continue to be so if the face of Russian politics changes over the next few years.”
Eastern & Central Europe
The Glory of Carniola writes about the Slovenian skier Vinko Bogataj (who happens to be much more than just his magnificent 1970 crash).
South Asia
Organized Nomad on finding Gandhi in Mexico. “Two women, total strangers, in two different parts of Mexico, seemingly free associate India with Gandhi. Seems even more a pity then that while Gandhi's name will forever be worshipped, his message will soon be lost as his country charts a tumultous course towards discovering - and asserting - its post-independence identity.”
South Asia
I, Me, Myself in Punjab, Pakistan - and reflecting on the similarities with the Punjab in India. “Then there were the sights and sounds of a Punjab that I had only read about in books or heard about from my elders. There were children studying in a village school in a class that was being held under a tree, with the added benefit of cool breeze that became cool by virtue of having passed over the village pond. Now this is a scene that you might come across in East Punjab as well, except for the vital fact that each of the children used a phatti (wooden board) to write upon with a qalam (a pen fashioned out of the thick, dried stalks of tall wild grass)”
South Asia
The Pakistani Spectator has an interesting list of job profiles. “A matriculate or having a bachelor degree from an un-recognized institution having 30 years political / no-political experience and the age should not be less than 45 years. The candidate will be reporting to relevant institutions abroad but not reporting to the Nation. Ability to announce emergencies and others marshal laws shall be an added advantage.” for the country's ‘CEO / President / CMLA / MLA (01)'.
South Asia
Metroblogging Islamabad with a brief post on the urs of Bari Imam. “His yearly urs, celebrated in these days of the year, is attended by thousands of devotees from all over the country. The urs, now becoming a festivity for many city dwellers and people coming from across various villages, started this Monday. While coming to office, many people (more like a caravan) were spotted carrying brightly coloured flags, flowers, walking their way towards Bari Imam (miles away from the margalla road) bare foot. Isn't it a bit odd, since Islam prohibits self-torture …!”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Black Looks writes from Kenya, where she is attending a conference on the use of mobile phones for activism and advocacy in Africa: “I am here in Nairobi at one of the most interesting gatherings I have attended in a long time. Fahamu have brought together some 40 African social justice and civil society activists to discuss and share ideas around the use of mobile phones as a tool for activism and advocacy. The workshop is being held in conjunction with Tactical Tech who will be holding their “techie” workshop on Thursday Friday and Saturday to develop a tool kit specially suited to an African environment – a broad term that will inevitably have to be customised by users from across the continent to accommodate, political, economic, social and cultural differences.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Chxta and Ababoy remember the Biafran War, which took place 40 years ago this month.
Sub-Saharan Africa
English football is big in Burkina Faso as Voice in the Desert reports:”African men care very deeply about their football teams, including the teams they ‘adopt' from abroad. In Ouagadougou there are passionate Manchester United supporters and equally passionate Chelsea supporters, and today they got together for the Cup Final.
Sparks flew…”
Middle East & North Africa
Golaniya posted a letter from a Syrian Worker in Lebanon. “In
Sub-Saharan Africa
An announcement about a new book on art in Mauritius: “Art in Mauritius - Post Independence issues and perspectives is being launched on Wednesday 30th May 2007 at the 26th Salon de Mai, at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute’s School of Fine Arts in Moka.”