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Morocco: The Whole “Kitten” Caboodle

Jillian York · 23:17

lingua → es

Cats are abundant in Morocco. Overabundant, even. One of my favorite things about living there was photographing the street cats - of which there would often be groups of up to 20. Judging by the spate of posts from the Moroccan blogoma (and even some recent travelers to Morocco) about cats, I'm not the only one who loves felines - and lately, even professional artists and photographers have found them to be a popular subject!

The House in Marrakesh recently shared a series of photos of Moroccan street cats. Here's one, of which the blogger said:

In the medina, it is useful to live above a fish shop.

The House in Marrakech

Useful indeed, as the blogger mentions in her next post that Morocco is experiencing a shortage of cat food:

Most Moroccans feed their cats scraps and they seem to do fine. Our pampered beasts have acquired a taste for Whiskas but the supply seems to have run out.
It is not to be had anywhere. Not at Marjane or Acima ( the supermarkets outside the medina). People are emailing and telephoning each other in search of Whiskas sightings. Things often run out here - mustard, for example, and no one is quite sure when they will reappear.

Global Voices' own Lalla Lydia shared artist photos of Moroccan cats, while sharing this tidbit about the Moroccan attitude toward felines:

Household animals, particularly dogs, are considered taboo in Islam because they are said to be unclean. The saluki (a pure-bred hunting dog from Arabia) is exempt from this, as are songbirds and cats (perhaps because the latter keeps out the rodents). Supposedly it is also because cats are supposed to be clean (just think of how long they spend licking themselves).

In response, a reader of her blog sent a Moroccan cat calendar. Here's Miss September:
Miss December
(Photo and calendar by Joan)

The Whole Kitten Kaboodle (whose name is a total coincidence in relation to the title of this post) recently visited Morocco and had many lovely cat photos to share. Here's one, with the blogger's own caption:

The Whole Kitten Caboodle

Guess what!!! In Morocco, chickens are kept behind bars in prison boxes. And these prison boxes are guarded by specially trained felines. I present to you the Sargeant at Arms of the Poultry Police.

Another traveler, author of TMF's Travelogue, had kind things to say about the Moroccan treatment of cats, and shared a couple of photos as well:

Cats are everywhere in Morocco – Moroccans are indeed cat people. People don’t really “own” cats the way they do in developed countries – they’re more like community pets that wander about. People take care of them and feed them scraps when they can. Some are pampered more than others – like there was one cat that seemed to live in the hotel in Essaouira, who just forced his way in and made himself at home on the sofa – jumping up and taking hold of his spot as though it had a reserved sign on it. There was also a few in the restaurants that did the same. The ones that aren’t as fortunate are a bit mangy and will often congregate at your feet, screaming loudly for scraps. This is always a bit sad, and I’m a cat person, so I always end up feeding them – which is then followed by a half dozen more following.

TMF

Wayfarer Scientista used cats to determine if a place was worth staying in:

Wayfarer Scientista

A cat & an Arabic sign. We found that the relative health of the cats were a pretty good indicator of whether or not we wanted to stick around in any one place.

Finally, DeepTape sums up the cat situation best, saying:

Cats are everywhere in Morocco, on rooftops, fighting on the tent fabric overhead, strolling through restaurants. In the Palais Bahia, we saw a dozen cats gathered together in the courtyard; clearly they were the true rulers of the place. On a rooftop terrace restaurant, a cat padded over across neighboring roofs to make friends and beg for scraps. However, I saw no rats, something I can’t say for San Francisco.

To this I will add a personal note - Moroccan cats are simply the best. So good, in fact, that I brought one back to the United States with me. On that note, I leave you with a photo of my very own Moroccan cat, LC:

9 comments · »»

Mozambique: Riot organized via SMS is covered by bloggers

Paula Góes · 19:27

lingua → pt

Three people died and more than 250 were injured in a riot yesterday in Maputo, which followed a protest against the increase in fares charged by the chapas (private minibus operators from the Mozambican capital). One of the first people to bring the news to the public was the blogger and sociologist Carlos Serra [pt], in a post just after 8:00 am, which was continuously followed up as he had fresh information to share.

He reported on barricades being improvised to prevent minibuses from operating and halting of all bus and mini-bus services soon after, as well as the police intervention, stranded commuters and the first person left dead. People started to contact the blogger directly to provide their first accounts of what they had heard and seen.

While most of the local TV stations were showing soap operas and the radios broadcasting football, people flocked to the Internet to get more information. Carlos Serra received dozen of comments on his report, with many readers thanking him for his minute-to-minute updates, the only source of virtually real time information available. Micas [pt] said in his comment:

Revoltante! A Rádio não deveria estar ao serviço da informação, ao serviço do povo? Não é um serviço público? Que me desculpem mas o futebol poderá ficar para depois.

Disgusting! Shouldn't the Radio be at the service of information, at the service of the people? Isn't it a public service? Excuse me, but football can be left for later.

Bayano Valy [pt] brought today an analysis of the poor participation of the mainstream media and its consequences:

O que me pareceu ter acontecido ontem foi que mais uma vez os órgãos de comunicação públicos furtaram-se de cumprir com uma das suas obrigações de informar o público sobre questões de interesse público. E me parece que as manifestações de ontem eram de interesse público. Ao furtarem-se do dever e obrigação de reportar sobre o que estava a acontecer não terão os nossos órgãos públicos contribuido para que mais pessoas se pusessem à rua com todas as consequências que daí podiam advir?

What seemed to have happened yesterday was that once again the public media avoided complying with one of its obligations: to inform the public on matters of public interest. And I think that yesterday's events were of public interest. On avoiding the duty and obligation to report on what was happening, wouldn't our public agencies have contributed to more people going to the street with all the consequences that could arise from this?

Other citizens were recording the events even closer. The short video below, by KaeDhee was shot from a roof terrace in one of the quietest areas, Coop, near OMM Square at around 14:30.

Such widespread demonstrations are unprecedented in Maputo and apparently the mobilization started soon after the Transport Ministry and the Federation of Road Transport Associations (FEMATRO) agreed that fares would increase up to 50% for the chapas (from 5 meticais to 7.5 – US$0,20 to US$0,30). People used SMS to send text messages inviting others to protest in the day the new fare would take effect, according to Orlando Castro [pt]:

Hoje o protesto registou uma inovação. Foi convocado por sms e incluía fortes críticas ao Governo da FRELIMO: “O povo está a sofrer, os filhos de ministros, deputados e outros dignitários não andam de chapa e os chapas estão caros. Vamos fazer greve e exigir justiça. Lutemos contra a pobreza”.

The protest today had an innovation. It was convened through sms and included strong criticism of the FRELIMO's government: “People are suffering; ministers, parliamentarians and other dignitaries' children don't travel on chapas and they are expensive. Let's go on a strike and demand justice. Let's fight against poverty. “

The increases were justified by th latest rise in the price of fuel, which saw a 14% increase in the price of diesel and an 8.1% increase in the price of petrol. On the other hand, the official minimum wage is less than US$2 per day, and the poorest people would be the most affected by the new fares. Some bloggers, such as Ivone Soares [pt], were not happy satisfied with this justification:

O salário mínimo está aquém das necessidades básicas das populações, ademais que o índice de desemprego em Moçambique é vergonhoso para um Governo que se diz do Povo, mas que preocupado com os mega-empreendimentos.

The minimum wage is below people's basic needs, and in addition to this the unemployment rate in Mozambique is shameful for a government which is said to be [a government] of the people, but is concerned only about mega-ventures.

Manoel de Araújo [pt] writes an open letter to Mozambican president Armando Guebuza asking him to speak up about the unprecedented event in Maputo:

Pela primeira vez depois da independencia nacional a populacao de Maputo saiu a rua com um unico proposito- dizer de forma clara e inequivoca de que ja esta farto das instituicoes estatais e que pelo menos desta vez, iria resolver os seus problemas, usando as suas proprias maos!

For the first time after the national independence, the population of Maputo gained the streets with a single purpose - to say in a clear and unequivocal way that they are already tired of the state institutions and that at least this time, they would solve their problems themselves, with their own hands!

Leonardo Vieira [pt] says he is not surprised that people have run out of patience after so many price rises in less than one month: fuel, bread, and the chapas fare. He blames the government for its passivity, which leaves the population with no choice but the use of violence. In this case, the protesters achieved what they were fighting for:

E qual foi a consequência??? Na pessoa do ministro dos transportes, o Governo anuncia que já não mais irão subir os preços.

And what was the result? Through the minister of transport, the Government announced that it will no longer raise the prices.

In a comment to the above blog post, Nelson Livingston [pt] agrees with Leonardo's theory that people's patience is coming to an end, and makes a dark prediction [pt] for the future:

O que me intriga é como o governo subestima o povo. Como não lê os sinais de insatisfação. Será por estar demasiado desligado da situação popular ou por uma cruel insensibilidade que se “ignora” o resultado de algumas medidas tomadas lá no topo. Agora aprendeu o povo que “criança que não chora não mamã”. Aprendeu que “governo não gosta de barulho”. O povo aprendeu a “mexer o remoto control” o futuro é assustador.

What I have been intrigued by is how the government underestimates people. How it does not read the dissatisfaction signs. Is it because they are turned off to people's situation or is it a kind of cruel insensitivity which “ignores” the consequences of some decisions made up there. Now people have learned that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” They have learned that the “government is averse to noise.” People have learned how to “operate the remote control”. Future is frightening.

A phantom city

Today, Carlos Serra reports that after the protests continued in some places into the evening, this morning Maputo was like a phantom city. There was no public transport, most schools and shops remained closed. Rubbish was soon building up along remnants of the barricades thrown up the day before. Only in the afternoon the chapas started again to circulate.

However, there are still some tension in other parts of Mozambique. Carlos Serra has been, as usual, providing all the last updates, quicker than any other media in the country. In his 28th update today at 20:40, the latest at the time of publication of this piece, he reports:

Três mortos e 268 feridos - eis o rescaldo dos levante popular de ontem, segundo a estação televisiva TVM no seu noticiário das 20. Mas segundo o “O Paísonline”, calcula-se em 93 o número de feridos que deram entrada no Hospital central de Maputo, dos quais 25 continuam ainda internados.

Three dead and 268 injured - this is the aftermath of yesterday's popular uprising, according to the TV station TVM in their news at 8 pm. However, according to “The Paísonline”, it is estimated that there were 93 wounded brought to the Central Hospital of Maputo, of which 25 are still in hospital.

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Ecuador: Farewell to Petronio Salazar

Milton Ramirez · 04:31

lingua → es

Don Petro

Picture by Carlos Jumbo under authorization.

Many Latin Americans, in one way or another, love sports, and are especially fond of fútbol (soccer). In addition, the middle and lower income people enjoy practicing sports, especially volleyball, indoor fútbol and soccer. It was in these surroundings, that a very charismatic person named Petronio Salazar was born in Quito, eventually became very famous and popular in Guayaquil. He received his start as commentator in the popular Ecuadorian Radio Network (CRE) that has been transmitting in Ecuador and now online to the world since 1940. He's been awarded by various Ecuadorian institutions such as the Board of Ecuadorian Sports Journalists, the Ecuadorian Association of Radio and had received special mentions during the Ecuadorian Commentor's Day. He especially remembered for his commentating for the 1974 World Cup.

In spite of his popularity, it is hard to find a picture of Petronio Salazar (except for one similar to the one pictured above), who lately was away from the microphones because of his illness. He can only be compared with charisma of Carlos Efrain Machado (who doesn't recall his laughing?). Salazar sadly passed away at the age of 70 after a lengthy illness. Bloggers remember with nostalgia how they grew up listening Petronio Salazar, even in places where radio waves barely were received. Blogger Carlos Jumbo cries [es]:

…mucha gente que creció escuchando su original narración de un encuentro de fútbol, en mi natal Potrerillos, un pueblito casi desaparecido en el mapa, era la época dorada de las emisoras ubicadas en la frecuencia AM, CRE (no se llamaba Satelital en aquél entonces y no estaba en FM), llevaba las emociones día a día…

…Many people who grew up listening to his original commentaries of a soccer match in my native Potrerillos, a town almost that disappeared from the map, was the golden age of radio stations located in the AM frequency, CRE (not named Satellital at that time and wasn't FM neither) carried the emotions everyday …

Cronist Sports Manual, an old page created in order to build up the soccer terminology and quotes a very original expression used by Don Petro:

Ese jugador se quedó fuera de juego, pero usted no se quede sin su ……(publicidad). - Petronio Salazar, haciendo publicidad en la C.R.E.

That player was off side, but you should not be left without your ……( advertising). - Petronio Salazar, doing publicity in the CRE

The Universe is one of the major newspapers in Ecuador and its headquarters are in Guayaquil. Its founders were close in business to Victor Emilo Estrada and Rafael Guerrero Valenzuela, both directors of the first and second CRE. Rafael Veintimilla writer of this newspaper, gave us some semblance of Petronio:

…apenas un adolescente que estudiaba en el colegio La Salle en su natal Quito y que no imaginaba ser uno de los relatores más carismáticos del fútbol ecuatoriano, se escondía por la vergüenza.

…Barely a teenager studying at La Salle school in his native Quito, did not realize that he would be one of the most charismatic Ecuadorian soccer commentors, often was caught hiding out of shame.

The timid young man was a star in the soccer games, acting as ‘reporter' while seated and using his motto “Cántelo y grítelo” (sing it and shout it) where referring to a goal. This is what La boca del pozo [es] would summarize:

“Don Petro”, así lo conocía la afición deportiva del Ecuador, fue un ícono de la voz y relato del país

“Don Petro,” was how sports fans of Ecuador knew him by, and he was an icon for his voice and for his commentary for the country

Other bloggers also criticized some of the Guayaquil newspaper. El ojo en la hoja [es] says those newspapers used euphemisms, and they didn't cover the whole information about ‘Don Petro' death and he reassures:

Me gustaba de Petronio esa forma culta y frontal de decir las cosas, como lo hacen la mayoría de guayaquileños, directo a la vena pero sin mala educación, por eso es que me indigna que se usen eufemismos para explicar la muerte.

I liked Petronio and his cultured and straighfoward way of saying things, which is how most guayaquileños do the same, direct to the point, but without being rude, which is why I am outraged that euphemisms are used to explain his death.

Finally, another ‘broder' (brother) living in the Big Apple called upon his Catholic beliefs to ask for Petronio Salazar eternal rest, Un guayaco en New York [es], writes:

Descansa en Paz Petronio. Parece que alla en el cielo necesitaban un locutor que te mandaron a llamar. Ahora el cielo ya tiene la dupla inmortal: Pepe Murillo y Petronio Salazar. Me imagino en el cielo a Pepe y don Petro narrando los goles de Alberto Spencer, Carlitos Munoz y Jimmy Izquierdo

Rest in Peace, Petronio. It seems that all in heaven needed an announcer and they were asking for you. Now Heaven has the immortal pair: Pepe Murillo and Petronio Salazar. I imagine in Heaven, Pepe and Don Petro narrating the goals of Alberto Spencer, Carlitos Munoz and Jimmy Izquierdo.

1 comment · »»

Serbia: President Tadic Gets Re-Elected

Veronica Khokhlova · 01:51

lingua → es · mk

Below is a selection of Anglophone bloggers' views on the outcome of Serbia's presidential election.

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia began his analytical piece for OpenDemocracy.net with this summary:

The inconclusive result in in the first round of Serbia's presidential election on 20 January 2008 led to a second round on Sunday 3 February. Again, there was widespread fear that the extreme-right nationalism represented by the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and its candidate Tomislav Nikolic would score a decisive victory; and just as in the first round, an extraordinarily high turnout prevented that outcome. The incumbent president Boris Tadic of the Democratic Party (DS) squeaked through to re-election with 50,5% to Nikolic's 47,9%. In doing so Tadic has probably gained a bit of political autonomy in addition to his second five-year mandate, but nothing is secure. […]

On Jan. 15, Chris Farmer wrote at his B92 blog about his Serbian babysitter's fears of Nikolic's victory:

My babysitter has her bags packed.

One fine day, a couple of weeks ago, I heard the announcement that if the Radicals should win the upcoming presidential elections – i.e., Smiling Tommy Nik – that she was ready to pack up and leave the country.

Hm, I told her. […]

In the comments section to this post, Aleksandar Stosic replied:

Your babysitter is not alone.
Many youngsters or middle age Serbs told me the same sentences, nobody wants another war, another cirssis, another inflation, another regional instabilty….
Me personaly, have same feelings every times in pre-elections period. […]

And Lighthouse expounded on what Stosic wrote:

[…] Your babysitter probably remembers 1992, and that famous exodus of foreign diplomats in a convoy. I also remember. Though not a babysitter, I earned my living owing to foreigners in Belgrade at that time. When they left, I had to close my small business.

So, that is what your babysitter “knows”. So, in case Nick The Undertaker wins, pack up yourself. Prepare to go home, because your babysitter will already be there.

Alan Jakšić, England-based Croatian Serb aka Balkan Anarchist, was relieved to learn of Tadic's victory:

[…] Although in an ideal world there would be no states and borders, no governments and politicians, and hence no need for elections, this is a good result. […]

In his first election day post, Jakšić wrote this about the two candidates and the Diaspora Serbs:

Boris Tadić has proven himself more than capable of running a country in Serbia's position, bearing in mind its recent past. Under him, Serbia has slowly improved its reputation in the world. And whenever Serbia gets a good word said for her, it's that much better for us Serbs in the Diaspora and fellow Serbs in neighbouring countries like Croatia, where I come from. Of course, good energy spreads! […]

[…] according to Serbia's very own Diaspora Minister Milica Čubrilo, Diaspora Serbs usually vote for the Democratic option. Diaspora Serbs don't want their country Serbia to go through the instability of the 90s again, and they also don't want the lives of their relatives back home to again be destabilized. […]

[…] I really don't want Nikolić to win. I can understand why many people may vote for him, but they should really think about us in the Diaspora.

Viktor Marković of Belgrade 2.0, exasperated with the constant necessity to choose between “black” and “white,” asked readers to place bets on which candidate was going to win:

It’ not like we’re new to this kind of black/white situation here and it’s getting boring.

But, let’s try and make it more interesting. We’ll organize a small competition here – who ever comes closer to the official results in the comments wins a beer in Belgrade. Losers can join in, of course.

While the winners of Belgade 2.0's contest haven't been announced yet, it appears that 23 percent of those who made their bets would have to pay for their own beer: 5 out of 22 voters thought that Nikolic would beat Tadic.

Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros “was half hoping for a Nikolic victory, if only to shake things up; it would have been bad in the short run, but might have opened up new possibilities further along.” Here's what he wrote about the stance that Serbia's Albanians have taken:

[…] The Albanian minority in the Presevo Valley in South Serbia refused to endorse Tadic either […]. That’s understandable but unfortunate; when the Albanians refuse to vote in Serbian politics, it lends strength to extremists on both sides. A lot of Albanians in Presevo seem to think they’re going to be part of Kosovo in a few years anyway, swapped for the piece of Kosovo that’s north of the Ibar. That might make sense, but it’s not going to happen for many years, if it ever does, and in the meantime it does them no good to try ignoring the state they’re part of.

Dr. Filomena, a Slovenian blogger, wrote this on the Kosovo issue and the two presidential candidates:

[…] Tadić and Nikolić are not as different in their POV as portrayed, especially when it comes to Kosovo. I will go out on limb to suggest that possibly, Nikolić would have been (will be?) able to negotiate better when the initial after-independence-declaration limited outbursts of violence subside. Then again, I could be wrong.

1 comment · »»