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February 4th, 2008


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Bolivia: Collective Blog from the Diaspora 

a small portrait of this author Eduardo Avila · 18:21
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Editor's Note: The following is a translation of a post originally published by Karen Heredia in Blogs Bolivia [es].


On August 9th, 2007 the blog Viviendo en Dos Culturas [es], (Living in Two Cultures) began. The author of the first post was Pablo Sánchez Kohn. To date, Viviendo en Dos Culturas [es] has published 56 posts. Within its virtual walls, we can read the following:

To live in two cultures is sometimes a choice and sometimes “an accident.” It is to feel present here and sometimes to feel present there. To live in two cultures is… I would like to invite you to share your experiences about living in two cultures. The good, the bad, the (whatever you like).

The following bloggers contribute in this blog of bloggers:

* Utópico
* David Rojas Elbirt
* OJO DE VIDRIO
* Laura Fähndrich
* uberedwin
* Pablo Sánchez Kohn
* José Andrés Sánchez Exeni

Woody Allen and Bolivia can be found in “Carcelona” [es]

Raúl me cuenta la historia de su hermano Arturo quien reside clandestinamente en Barcelona; dejó la carrera de Administración de Empresas y ahora trabaja en la caja de un micromercado del Poble Sec; sin embargo, como dice Raúl, su hermano está convencido de que hizo lo correcto…

Raúl tells me the story of his brother Arturo, who lives in a clandestine manner in Barcelona. He left college and his pursuit of a Business Administration degree and now works as a cashier at a supermarket in Poble Sec. However, says, Raúl, his brother is convinced that he did the right thing.

Bolivian restaurants and bars: Between integration and conflicts [es]

Los bares y restaurantes bolivianos se han convertido en un núcleo de integración y de muestra de nuestras virtudes, pero también corren el riesgo de convertirse en guetos o espacios donde afloran nuestros defectos y dificultades para integrarnos a la vida europea.Muchos bolivianos, españoles, asiáticos y hasta africanos han encontrado una veta preciosa en la venta de comida boliviana, de un sabor incomparable, pero también de cervezas de cualquier tipo que sirven para “ahogar las penas” y olvidar una semana de duro trajinar trabajando o buscando empleo…

The Bolivian bars and restaurants have become a center for integration and a display of our virtues. However, they also run the risk of becoming ghettos or places where our defects and difficulty to integrate ourselves into European society. Many Bolivians, Spanish, Asians, and even Africans have found something precious in Bolivian food, a taste without compare, as well as any type of beer that serves to “drown one's sorrows” and forget about a difficult week at work or looking for work…

The Baby the Was Born with a “Passport Underneath His Arm” [es]

Parece que Luis Ignacio Iriarte, el primer bebé nacido en toda España el 2008, ha llegado al mundo con “un pasaporte bajo el brazo”, por la buena suerte que trae a los bolivianos que no tienen ese documento.Siempre dicen que un recién nacido viene con su pan al mundo, pero en este caso, el bebé boliviano nacido en Valencia a los pocos segundos de este año, convertido en una celebridad mediática, ha traído una luz de esperanza a los compatriotas que buscan regularizarse o tener documentos…

It appears that Luis Ignacio Iriarte, the first baby born in 2008 in all of Spain, entered this world with “a passport underneath his arm,” for the good luck that this brings all the Bolivians without a passport. They always say that newborns arrive with bread for the world, but in this case, the Bolivian baby, who was born a few seconds at the beginning of this year in Valencia, has become a celebrity. He brought a ray of hope for his fellow countrymen and women, who are looking to adjust or obtain legal papers.


Cruceño (Bolivian from Santa Cruz) directs successful radio program in the US [es]

Bolivianos, salvadoreños y peruanos buscan cada sábado su programa de radio, en el que responde las inquietudes de los inmigrantes. Vivió desde su infancia en Santa Cruz y se formó en Estados Unidos, pero se considera un camba más. Es especialista en migración…

Bolivians, Salvadorans, and Peruvians seek answers to immigration questions on his radio program each Saturday. He lived in Santa Cruz as a child and was educated in the United States, but he considers himself just another Camba. He is an expert in immigration issues.


Bolivian Food in Spain: A Tasty Article [es]

Tengo la creencia que no hay que intentar buscar allí donde estás lo que has dejado detrás tuyo. Poniéndolo en cristiano, no hay que intentar encontrar comida boliviana si vives en el extranjero, sólo lograrás deprimirte con platos fabricados a medias entre los productos locales y la melancolía…

I believe that one should not attempt to find there, what you left behind. In other words, one should try to find Bolivian food, if you live abroad. You'll just become depressed with dishes prepared half-heartedly among the local products and the melancholy.

A Watchful Eye on European Consulates [es]

Las actividades de algunos consulados en Europa y su verdadero servicio a la población han sido puestas en tela de juicio en las últimas semanas, en medio de una pugna política y de intereses personales. Europa tiene casi 500 mil bolivianos, pero la cantidad de Embajadas y consulados y el personal que poseen no ha sido incrementada por el Gobierno, lo que provoca protestas de los compatriotas que se extienden desde España hasta Alemania….

The activities of some European consulates and their real service to the population have been drawn into the spotlight during these past few weeks, during the recent political battles and personal interests. Europe has nearly 500,000 Bolivians, but the amount of embassies, consulates and staff has not been increased by the government, which has raised protests by countrymen and women from Spain to Germany.


Humor Conference and the Bolivian Migration [es]

Amigos: Difundo el texto de la conferencia que brindé en la Casa de América de Barcelona el 28 de de noviembre del 2007, en el marco de las “Jornadas sobre el Humor en Iberoamérica”. Del 26 al 30 de noviembre, disertaron prestigiosos periodistas, humoristas, dibujantes, caricaturistas de España y Latinoamérica….

Friends: I pass along information about the conference being put on by the Casa de América of Barcelona on November 28, 2007 titled, “Programs about Humor in Ibero-America.” From November 26-28, prestigious journalists, humorists, cartoonists, and illustrators from Spain and Latin America will be present.


Bolivians in New York [es]

Sean Bienvenidos a todos los compatriotas Bolivianos Residentes en la ciudad de Nueva York, y el resto del mundo… Nuestro proposito es, el de poder difundir las actividades nuestras desde la “Gran Manzana”, al resto del Planeta….

Welcome to all of our fellow compatriots, the Bolivian Residents in the city of New York and the rest of the world. Our objective is to spread information about our activities in the “Big Apple” to the rest of the world.

The Story of a Bolivian in Barcelona [es]

Elisabet Silva, de 35 años, de origen boliviano, es una de los 40.000 extranjeros que, a través de la reagrupación familiar, llegaron a Cataluña en 2007. La mujer, que aterrizó este verano en el aeropuerto de El Prat de Llobregat, abandonó su empleo en una oficina de comercio exterior en La Paz (Bolivia) para reencontrarse con su marido, Nilo, que lleva cuatro años trabajando en Barcelona…

Bolivian Elisabet Silva is 35 years old and is one of the 40,000 foreigners that as part of family reunification, arrived in Cataluña in 2007. The woman arrived this summer at the airport El Prat de Llobregat after leaving her job at a commercial office in La PAz. She later was reunited with her husband, Nilo, who had been living and working in Barcelona for four years.

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Iraq: The Idiots have finally made Saddam’s wish come true 

a small portrait of this author Salam Adil · 14:43
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Or so says Baghdad Connect read on to find out why. But the main story is a double bomb blast shattering the perceived lull in violence in Iraq, bloggers put a human face on the impact of such explosions. And reactions to a report that one million Iraqis have died since 2003.

Masgouf by Marshmallow26
Iraqi Masgouf by Marshmallow26

Here are two pictures of the grilled fish ( simich mazgouf), dad is a professional fisherman, he knows how to grill a fish in a robust way. My aunt and uncle's widow were invited to our house yesterday, so dad bought this delicious fish and cooked it out in our front yard…enjoy watching!!!

If you read no other posts this week read these

While the bomb attacks in Baghdad receive wide publicity, mainly because of their political significance, one must not forget that Iraq's second city, Mosul, is undergoing even worse troubles. Much of which is barely glossed over in the world media. Baghdad Dentist gives a first hand account of the aftermath of one huge explosion that he witnessed first hand. He writes:

it was a DISASTER. even the word disaster doesnt describe the crime happened there. as if a nuclear bomb were thrown there.the trees were 100metre away. the bricks of the buildings were everywhere.the power cables were in pieces allover the place. i couldnt distinguish the houses from each other and from the shops. a cyclon is less less destructive. i stood astonished there. i havent seen like this only when the b52 aircraft bombed one of the buildings during war in baghdad. without any exaggeration 20 houses were severly ruined up and nearly 35 affected. who was that monster who did it? he is the evil himself.

And Baghdad Connect interviews an Iraqi professor who gives an interesting perspective on the design of the new Iraqi flag:

the Idiots (MPs) have finally helped Saddam’s wish come true, when they approved a tentative Iraqi flag with missing three stars that bears solely the wording of ‘God Greatest’!

For nearly a decade Saddam’s intention was to drop the three stars … and keep ‘God Greatest’ alone. The move was to portray himself as a heaven’s gate protector for the rest of the Arab countries from any foreign aggressors like Iran.

Snow by Marshmallow26Snow in Baghdad by Marshmallow26

It snowed for the second time this season in my city, and this time was better and thicker than the first time on Jan 12th. I was lucky enough to take some pictures with my friends … while we were taking pictures a US convoy included 4 vehicles were on the road, two of the US soldiers stepped out of the vehicle, one of them carried a disposable camera, he looked at me and asked if its ok to take a picture with him…

Those guys were surprised about the snow we had. Oh well when I see snow it is as if am seeing peace around me.

Bombs in Baghdad

We have all heard of how 100 people died in a double bombing in Baghdad pet markets last week that was attributed to the work of Al-Qaeda. Iraqi bloggers fill in the background about the area and people affected.

Leilaa Fadil, who works for one of the international media offices in Baghdad reported how life went on after the event:

When the bodies were gone people covered the remains of flesh on the road with pieces of cloth. … Dead birds and animals were gathered up and put into a dumpster. Cleaners swept away the pools of blood, shop owners began to repair their shops once again and life went on.

Neurotic Wife wakes up to the news and is angry. And shouts at the people who spend their time disputing the numbers killed in this war:

we still have worthless people still disputing the Lancet report, asking whether its a true study? No its actually a fake one, done in really weird circumstances, they tell the world. No dont believe this report they argue. This report is all lies!!! If this report is all lies, then all those millions of Iraqis that got martyred and are still getting martyred everyday are but film characters in a sci fi movie, right? … The majority of today’s victims were kids. Real kids!!!Kids whose parents wanted to take advantage of the weekend to entertain them. Entertain them instead of keeping them locked up between the walls of their cold, dark, lonely homes. But no, entertainment in Iraq is wishful thinking. For even the thought of it is a sin by itself.

She also points to ominous signs of more violence to come:

just as I was chatting with HUBBY, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, a large explosion took place very close to him. It was so close that even I heard it over the speakers. I guess its official now that the 6 month standoff of al Mahdi militia is over.

Iraq Pundit uses the bombing as an example to berate American politicians who call for a quick withdrawal from Iraq. He writes:

Guess it's easier for the politicians to apologize later. You know, the way Bill Clinton apologized for sitting back and watching the killings in Rwanda while he was in the White House.

Most of us can understand on some level why terrorists don't have a conscience. They're murderers. Any sense of what's right and wrong would prevent them from doing their jobs. Please don't tell me to vote for the presidential candidates who look the other way in order to do their jobs.

Alaa gives some background to the area and the people there:

This particular place has been attacked several times before and still it happens. It is heartbreaking really. The people who frequent these traditional and very lovable places are usually amongst the poorest and are mostly young animal loving hobbyists.

He reproaches the Arab media for ignoring this atrocity or blaming others and goes as far as criticising America for allowing its allies to finance groups that openly support Al-Qaeda. Alaa writes:

Perhaps it is this weak-kneed American attitude that has contributed to the aggravation of the terrorist phenomenon.

Talking about weak-kneed attitudes, Baghdad Connect picks up on George Bush's recent trip to Saudi Arabia where he was photographed posing with a sword. In a sketch Baghdad Connect alleges Bush is associating with symbols linked to Al-Qaeda and their brand of religion and how it makes such groups look like they have official American support. While the truth of this is disputable, one can only wonder at how little the American president and his advisors understand about the symbolism of such actions.

One million dead and counting?

A recent survey published an estimate that more than one million Iraqis have died following the 2003 war. Raed Jarrar gives a political reaction:

More than one million Iraqis have died … at the same time, bush is revealing his plans to leave permanent military bases in Iraq…

One million Iraqis have been killed because of the US occupation, but US interventionists from both the “right” and “left” are still giving excuses to stay in Iraq.

Oh lord, protect Iraq from the U.S. “right” imperialists who want to stay in Iraq to kill the bad guys, and protect Iraq from the U.S. “left” imperialists who want to stay in Iraq to save Iraqis from themselves.

And Layla Anwar gives an emotional response:

Add to that the 1.5 million during 13 years of sanctions and add to that an unknown number of missing persons and add to that 4.5 million in exile or displaced and add to that all those who were tortured, raped, maimed, and crippled by your liberation.

Bravo Americans, you won the jackpot. You won over 2.5 million Iraqi corpses. And you may share the 4.5 million in exile or displaced as as bonus. … You invaded and occupied under the name of Democracy and Freedom, so that makes you nothing but a collective bunch of maniacal psychopaths, a group of revolting sick perverts, a disgusting affront to anything called human, an insult to the world.

And finally:

Marshmallow26 explains the importance of the mobile Internet in her life:

I don't even know who said this adage: the world is a small village, but it is %1000 true, we were shocked when the Internet technology invaded our world, life, work and houses but we never thought that there would be another source; mobiles or cellular phones which I call the teeny-weeny genius invention will give every one of us the feeling of mastering the world by one touch!! What a lovely feeling… I did buy a card and a SIM card and boom I had internet via my phone, well now this type is making me more sluggish than the first, why? You know that the weather is getting really frosty and I can't resist the heat and the softness I have in my bed, I decided to check my emails and my blog besides your blogs while am in my bed and my head is under my pillow!! What a lovely feeling. I wouldn't imagine that I can travel around the world while am in bed, ahh so relaxing…am thinking of taking my cell phone with me to the bathroom next time, ha-ha.

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English Blogs From Cameroon 

a small portrait of this author Ndesanjo Macha · 14:34
lingua → es

Cameroon was colonised by both the English and the French. The historical legacy of colonial rule is reflected in the linguistic division of the country. It is divided between the French-speaking North and the English-speaking South. Although English speakers are the minority, the Cameroonian English blogosphere is very active. Today, we are introducing some of them to you.

Dibussi Tande is one of the leading English bloggers from Cameroon. His blog, Scribbles from the Den is about his personal view on people, places, issues, and events in Cameroon, Africa, and the world. He discusses what he calls “Biyaism”:

After close to a year of subtle and not-so-subtle calls by members of the ruling CPDM for an amendment of Article 6(2) of the constitution of Cameroon which imposes presidential term limits, President Paul Biya finally took a stance on the debate last December 31. During his nationwide end-of-year address, Paul Biya backed the opponents of term limits by arguing that: “In fact, there are arguments for a revision, particularly of Article 6 which indeed imposes a limitation of the people’s will, a limitation which is out of tune with the very idea of democratic choice.”

Bakweri is a group blog focusing on Bakweri culture and society. The blog celebrated the news of a Cameroonian born new President of the University of Pittsburgh:

Dr. Jem Spectar who hails from Buea at the foot of Mt. Fako, South West Cameroon, was on Friday 28th September installed as the 5th President of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in the United States.

Bate Besong is a special blog dedicated to the life and works of the late Bate Besong, a well known Cameroonian social critic. Kelvin Ngong Toh looks at his play, Beasts of No Nation:

Bate Besong is one of the most renown Cameroonian playwright of English expression, besides Bole Butake, Victor Epie Ngome and John Nkemngong, who is of the younger generation of Cameroonian playwrights in English. Even then, Bate Besong’s plays have not gained impetus in the eyes of critics. But examining the content and form of Beasts of no Nations, a play he published in 1990, one can rightly conclude that Bate Besong is an experimentalist playwright and a reformer.

Fonlon.org is a blog celebrating Bernard Fonlon who was described by his contemporaries as “Socrates in Cameroon”:

Twenty years ago, on 26th August 1986, Bernard Nsokika Fonlon died in Canada. He had gone there in the month of May of that year in order to receive a doctorate degree in Literature (D. Litt.) from the University of Guelph, and it was his intention to spend the 1986/1987 academic year in the United States of America, within the framework of a Fulbright programme. But the Lord, the Giver of Life, decided otherwise. Bernard died in Canada at the age of sixty-one years, and nine months and six days.

Tangwa's pages is a blog by Godfrey Tangwa, a prolific Cameroonian writer. His blog has not been updated for sometime, though. He once wrote about malaria research and ethics:

What has Ethics got to do with state-of-the-art malaria research and control efforts, let alone in Cameroon? If the word “Ethics” brings to your mind only images of churches and other places of worship, holy books and religious injunctions, priests, pastors and other preachers, all of which may seem rather far removed from science, let alone research, then this surely, is a pertinent question for you. Of course, religious people, religious discourse and religion generally are concerned with ethics or morality generally. But ethics or morality is quite distinct from religion and is or should be the concern of all human beings, be they religious or not.

Francis B. Nyamnjoh is Associate Professor and Head of Publications and Dissemination with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA). One of his recent posts is about his latest novel, Souls Forgotten:

This novel is about coming of age and coming to terms in Mimboland. It is also about the fragility of life and the strength of the human spirit. The filth and screaming splendor of the city and the perplexed tranquility of the village are juxtaposed, as the tension and conviviality between tradition and modernity are lived and explored.

Jacob Nguni is a Cameroonian musician as well as a blogger. He writes about the popular African song, Sweet Mother:

Sweet Mother by Prince Nico Mbarga has been voted Africa's favourite song by BBC readers and listeners.

Chosen from a shortlist of 10, the 1976 hit celebrating motherhood won with more than 27% of the vote.

The wedding song Vuli Nadlela by the wild child of South African music, Brenda Fassie, who died earlier this year, came in second.

Mwalimu George Ngwane is a Cameroonian political and social thinker. He mostly writes about social, cultural and political issues. He recently wrote about 2007 being the year of heroism and martyrdom in Africa:

Heroism is the ability to triumph over adversity. Its kernel is fuelled by defiance and fired by a steel will.

Either as an individual or a corporate body, heroism urges the subject to go against the grain of conservative establishment. Motivated by independent assertiveness, the subject breaks free from monolithism and complacency to embrace the collective vision of his or her society. Ali Mazrui says heroes are symbols of achievements; they are ultimate victors.

Rosemary Ekosso is a Cameroonian translator and court interpreter living in the Netherlands. She writes about affecting Africans today, especially African women.

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Kenya: Tribal hatred claims its first online casualty 

a small portrait of this author Rebecca Wanjiku · 13:52
lingua → pt · de · bn · es

When conflicts erupted in Kenya after the elections, many fingers pointed at the newspapers and radio as the sources of hatred and fanning the fires of tribal hatred that have been lit over time. None focussed much on blogs and online forums. But it has proved that even online forums have been breeding grounds for war mongers.

Mashada forum, Kenya's first online chat room was forced to close after discussions got out of control. White Africa reports about his shock:

As you may already know, I’ve been having quite a problem regulating Mashada.com, despite having recently hired people to moderate the forums. It is starting to become a reflection of what is going on on the ground in Kenya. I’d hate for it to hinder our current efforts since I’m directly connected to it, therefore I’m having to shut down the forums until further notice. Facilitating civil discussions and debates has become virtually impossible.

White African further notes that:

The post-election violence in Kenya is horrible. Most of the people who use Mashada are part of the Kenyan diaspora based in the US and Europe, but also a healthy amount from Kenya. So, the vast majority of people using it are seeing and hearing about the atrocities happening to their friends and family and are rightfully upset.

The situation has been so bad that some comments have had to be deleted by the moderators. Kenyan Pundits gives an example:

I’ve deleted a comment made by someone about the hate speech on Mashada, not because I disagree with the concerns raised but because I know the links included would have been bait for guys to respond with their own hateful comments.

I have recently had a conversation with David about the kinds of inciteful and hateful speech that people are putting up on Mashada, and what he was doing about it - beyond my disgust with what people are putting up there… I was/am concerned that it would undermine the wonderful work that he is doing with Ushahidi. David says he’s swamped and the moderators are burning out fast. He tried to shut down the website for a week, but that didn’t help. He is considering paying moderators, but is also welcoming ideas from others (any willing to help him with moderating).

During the times of heightened animosity, bloggers virtually took sides. Recently, Kumekucha wrote “the truth about the Kikuyus” and noted:

There cannot be and should not be any attempt to negotiate an obvious violation and abuse of office. Doing so will only further worsen an already deeply troubling situation. None of the so called high profile mediators currently in Kenya, voted in the general election of 27th December 2007, and their presence is of no value whatsoever to the masses who voted for the “de facto” President of Kenya Raila Amolo Odinga and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The continued presence of these impostors on Kenyan soil and their empty attempts at purported mediation,only serves to further infuriate and insult the overwhelming majority that voted for Raila Odinga and ODM.

On the other hand, Kenyan enterprenuer writes about Raila as an evil man hell bent on capturing power:

This idea by Raila that Kibaki is trying to kill his way to a majority in parliament is crazy and it is where Raila’s evil treachery comes into play. He is using these deaths to score political points and to spur continued violence (he knows these deaths are not connected to Kibaki!!).

Look at his speech right after Were’s death:

**Raila’s Hyperbole: “An emotional Raila eulogised the slain MP, saying his life and blood would not go in vain. “His blood will water the tree of liberation… we will walk tall and stronger, we shall plant a flag on top of the mountain to remember him … Were shall be remembered … we will remember you brother.” Please Negroe , please.

Raila and Ruto have decided that if they don’t get power, they are going to plunge the country into chaos (but of course, they will not do the fighting; they’ll get others to do it for them). I believe Kibaki is being told to forget about negotiating with these two thugs. They must fight them to the end and bring them down (with the ultimate knockdown reserved for William Ruto).

Siasa duni offers to demonstrate how President Kibaki stole the election and draws a parallel between Kibaki and the Bush administration:

The events also have deeply unsettled the Bush administration, which has relied on Kenya as an ally in the war on terror and a bulwark of stability in East Africa. Official results gave Kibaki an edge of 231,728 votes, or 2 percent, out of about 10 million cast. Initial results of an exit poll by the U.S.-funded International Republican Institute found that Raila Odinga had won by an 8 percent margin. Election officials allowed five accredited Kenyan observers into the tallying centre only in the final phase of vote-counting, and three of them shared their accounts: all said that the gravest cheating occurred in that room, where commissioners—all appointed by Kibaki— compiled returns before announcing them to the public.

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