HumanRightsUN posts a video of part of the presentation made by Ruslan Asadov, co-founder of the OL! Azerbaijani Youth Movement [AZ/EN], at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy. One of the other co-founders of OL!, video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade, is currently in prison on what most observers consider politically motivated charges. OL! has also uploaded an English version of its promotional video. The full segment on Young Rights Defenders and the Blogosphere from the conference (split into ten parts) can be found here.

Unzipped comments on plans to demolish Yerevan's only open air cinema hall to make room for the construction of a new church. Although the cinema itself was constructed after the demolition of a previous church standing in the same spot, the blog says that there are enough churches in the capital and all focus should be on saving what it considers to be one of the finest buildings in the city.

The BBC sparked a storm this week with a story claiming millions of dollars sent to help starving people in Ethiopia's 1980s famine were used to buy arms by rebels.

The rebels, who now dominate Ethiopia's government, and some aid groups dismissed the story. Bob Geldof, the Irish rock star who helped raise a lot of the money in the 80s with his Live Aid campaign, said it was “simply not the case”. Britain's Independent newspaper published a blog saying the claim was a slur, cooked up by enemies of Ethiopia's government ahead of looming elections.

Ethiopian blog Ethiopian Recycler, clearly not fan of the country's current regime, begged to differ and defended the BBC story in two posts Aid money, arms, and Sir Bob Geldof and Live Aid money did pay for weapons:

Millions of aid money raised in the 1980s was indeed diverted to buy arms and had provided rebel leaders with a lifestyle that was inhuman and extravagant even by today's standards. That is no news. Thousands of the hungry from Tigray were forced to trek to the Sudan in the course of which many perished. And hundreds that were resettled in southwestern Ethiopia were returned to Tigray through the Sudan [hundreds of which perished en route]. That is no news either. The fact that yesterday's BBC report is followed by the question whether this scam ever took place is simply absurd.

Another aspect of Ethiopia's relationship with the aid industry came under the spotlight in an article highlighted by Addis Ababa-based blogger Owen Barder. Aid blog Hand Relief International cast an ironic eye over the difference between the luxury of the capital's Sheraton hotel, where many aid officials stay, and the visible poverty just outside its walls:

One of the meetings I attended last week was in Addis Ababa where my stay in the dignified Sheraton Hotel was slightly spoiled by the vista behind the reassuring fence, where people in rags seemed in general to be enjoying slightly less comfort … Thankfully, the local drought did not affect the water pressure at the fountain systems around the hotel where we took the edge off with regular dips in the heated pool, usually before high tea. The theme of the meeting was “Drought and Famine - HRI opportunities for 2010″

“Why did it take a quarter of a century for the truth to be told publicly,” wonders Samuel Ketema at ABBAY Media: The Ethiopian Information Bank:

If there is one thing that people should be surprised about, it must be why it took a quarter of a century for the truth to be told publicly. Otherwise, particularly the deception of the TPLF is something that the Ethiopian public know them for. How REST (Relief Society of Tigray), which is a multibillion conglomerate today, was formed is not such a big secret to the Ethiopian public. Then there is also what the CIA knew from the beginning and the American government supported it.

The two former rebel commanders, who exposed this truth, mentioned this before in different interviews they gave in Amharic. Nothing is new about this. How did TPLF win the largest and well equipped army in sub-Saharan Africa then? Meles Zenawi, as many in the west, including Bob Geldof and Bono described him, is a very smart guy, actually much smarter than his admirers in the west can understand.

A reader at Ethiopian Curret Affairs Discussion Forum, Sarah, notes that Ethiopians were not surprised by the news:

Ethiopians who knows the nature of the ruling party in Ethiopia wasn’t surprised by the news at all what surprised them was how comes the western medias start talking? and Bob Geldof acting like the Ethiopian dictators lire cadres.

The “aid for arms” story, argues Mebre, is very well known all over Ethiopia:

The story you mentioned is very well known all over Ethiopia but it gives a factual evidence for the West that a dictator that do not have a moral character for his own people can give peace prosperity and freedom to the nation.We all insist the West that don’t armed dictators….give support for the poor…the poor needs freedom than anything…..

For the past two years, a seafront promenade in Varna known as the First Alley has been a cause of confrontation between civil society organizations and TIM Group, which runs projects throughout Eastern Bulgaria and owns many of the hotels on the coast. The activists are fighting against large-scale construction and are trying to protect the Sea Garden landscape park in Varna.

A protest poster: “Sea Garden is not for sale!”

One of the most vocal opponents of the construction project is Kalina Pavlova, a local architect. She is considered “the face” of civil society in Varna by some. Together with other citizens and NGOs, she actively works to let the public know about the circumstances of the sale of 122 acres of the Varna coast to “Holding Varna”, a TIM Group company, and about the support that private investors are getting from the municipality as they are trying to build a whole new city by the coastline of Varna: seven hotels, some 500 bars and 300 shopping centers (more graphics and photos from the location - at view.point, Pavel Yanchev's blog; BUL). In 2009, Ms. Pavlova received a special award from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee for “exclusive civil courage in protecting the public interest against the illegal acts of the local institutions in favour of private corporations.”

User mok wrote this [BUL] at Arhitektura.bg blog on Oct. 9, 2009:

[…] This is one of the many deals struck in our dear fatherland, that everybody knows is illegal, but is deemed legal by the ones who can make it so. You are aware of our current government's motto (besides dealing with the crisis) - fighting corruption. As funny or as trivial as it may seem, we are witnessing the annulment of old deals, swaps, etc., from [the times of the Triple Coalition], found to be illegal. All that has to be done in this case was for the deal in question to be reviewed, declared illegal and therefore void. Yes, but not quite. No one's ever going to do something that's not in their interest. As long as there isn't enough uproar anyway. Is that all? Is this how things should be? Should deals contrary to the common interest be made, can't the same beautiful architecture be build with a lot of money, but in a manner not only intended to satisfy the interest of the investors?

Here is a comment from one of the readers:

It is very interesting how in this article has been highlighted that the new government reviewed the old deals, but unfortunately did not follow the new deals - I wonder why? The game [corruption] does not stop, only the players [the government] put on new faces.

Jurgen Roth, a German journalist, wrote this about TIM Group:

“[It] represents the most advanced form of organized crime, an example of what is indicated by the term “Mafia Borghese”- a structure penetrated in the higher spheres of society.”

Mr. Roth is the author of a book on organized crime in Bulgaria and is currently being sued for slander by Rumen Petkov, Bulgaria's former interior minister (earlier GV posts about the situation with Mr. Petkov are here and here). Mr. Roth chose not to show up for the second hearing of the trial this past Monday, due to threats from Mr. Petkov that he claims to have received.

Attempts to intimidate anti-construction activists in Varna have also taken place. Blogger Toross reported (BUL):

[…] Architects and organizers of the protests Nikolay Tsvetkov and Kancho Bonev were attacked - with this message, “We know what you do.”

[…]

NGOs protesting against the controversial deal sent an official letter to the prosecutor general and [PM Boyko Borisov]. No reaction. […]

Ms. Pavlova is quoted saying this (BUL) in Mirela Veselinova's text on the mafia's new project that appeared on e-vestnik.bg, an online news site:

[…] There is just no other way to live a decent life - to make a home for yourself, build a career. If you are too afraid to stand up for your rights, then you might as well leave the country. […]

Thoughts on the Road comments on recent news reports that $44 million in real estate deals were recently made in Dubai in the name of a 12-year old who happens to have the same name and date of birth of the Azerbaijani president's son. Another $35 million worth of deals were also reportedly made in the name of the president's two daughters. Learning to Walk in Stilettos also comments on the news by saying that while the reports might be new, the problem of corruption in the oil-rich country is not. Meanwhile, Emotions on Air, Mind Mute, a blog in Azerbaijan, simply responds to the news by quoting the lyrics of the song ‘F**k You' by Lily Allen.

Emmanuel Midi blogs about “formation, animation, discovery” for children in Haiti's disadvantaged Cité Soleil and Bas Delmas communities after the January 12 earthquake.

East Timor possesses only 0.04% of the world's known oil reserves - with its known reserves around only half of those of Brunei, according to one estimate. But for a small, poor nation of roughly 1 million people, this is still very significant.

When the country gained independence in 2002, revenues were already streaming into Timorese coffers from the area south of the island called the Timor Gap. Even though Australia and East Timor have yet to agree on final maritime boundaries, the oil coming from Timorese oil fields is already the country's greatest source of revenue. (There is also yet-to-be-exploited natural gas in the Timor Gap.)

Image by SkyTruth shared under a CC license

Donors and Timorese leaders were keen to prove that petroleum resources could be a blessing and not a curse, calling in experts from Norway to learn from that country's famous Sovereign Fund.

The basic idea: set aside the massive influx of revenues and spend only what is earned from careful investment of that revenue. A sovereign fund, called the Petroleum Fund, was designed and its existence even alluded to in the Constitution. The subsequent Petroleum Fund Law has very strict and specific wording in relation to what can be withdrawn from the fund.

As Lu Olo, formerly a resistance leader, said in his (unsuccessful) 2007 presidential campaign [tet]:

Osan ne‘e foin maka iha tinan ida ne‘e, liu husi Orsamentu Jeral do Estado, nebé hasai husi Fundo Mina Rai. Osan mira rai nian, fahe tuir kanal estadu nian, la‘os fahe arbiru deit, hanesan esmola ne’eb’e ema riku fó ba ema kiak. Osan Mina Rai nian pertense ba povu.. Povu iha direito ba hetan benefísius dezenvolvimentu nian. Timor-Leste nia. ósan, fo tuir Fundu Komunitáriu nian, la‘os halo karidade. La halo hanesan, foin dadaun ema balu fahe mantas nebé mai husi rai seluk. Fundu Komunitáriu simu osan nebé transfere tuir leis, tuir direitos povu nian, hahú kedas hó Asembleia Konstituinte. Ne‘e osan povo nian ba ajuda povu. Ne maka independénsia. Hamrik no tani nafatin prinsipius nebé hamanas ita nia laran no halu ita luta ho brani iha Frente Armada, iha Frente Klandestina nor Frente Diplomatika Ne‘‘e maka nasionalismu lolós, ne maka independensia lolós.

The money goes to the people at a grass roots level, for sustainable projects in agricultural development. This money only became available in this years budget because of the Petroleum fund. This money is being distributed through proper institutional channels, not thrown around like gifts from the rich to the poor. This money belongs to the people. Development is the people's right. This is not charity, like giving away blankets that come from foreign powers. This is transferring funds legally and constitutionally, according to the rights that our people have under the Constitution I steered through the Constituent Assembly. This is the peoples own resources going back to the people. That is what independence is. Standing up and remaining true to principles that have inspired us and have made us brave in our struggle in the Armed Front, the Clandestine Front and the Diplomatic Front. This is true nationalism, this is true independence.

The Petroleum Law states that no more than the Estimated Sustainable Income (ESI) shall be drawn down in any given year from the Petroleum Fund. The Law allows for the exceeding of this Income only with Parliamentary approval. The ESI is the key mechanism by which future generations are guaranteed benefits from the natural resources long after they have run out. On any given year the value of the ESI depends on the price of oil and other factors.

The current coalition government in Timor, which came to power in 2007, controversially drew down more than this “sustainable income” in 2008 and 2009 - invoking a clause in the Petroleum Fund Law allowing for exceptional transfers from Fund. The issue was taken to the highest level of the Timorese judiciary in late 2008.

Increases in recurrent expenses, such as subsidies for food and salaries for civil servants and parliamentarians, along with large infrastructure projects have dramatically increased government budgets.

West Timor's local petrol stations by Ernst Neumeister

In its Annual Report for 2009, local NGO Luta Hamutuk refers to people from Ermera District asking questions about the oil money during a community briefing

Participants asked for clarification in respect of petroleum fund law […] since reality had showed that government had taken beyond 3% [ESI] to be put into state general budget. Why after such money being taken, still that many of infrastructure projects like roads, schools, and clinics have been performed inappropriately? Where does the money go? Is there any indication of corruption?

Even powerful international institutions have sounded the alarm in their own way. La'o Hamutuk, an NGO set up to monitor Timor's post-independence development, quoted the World Bank's Country Director as saying in April 2009

If expenditure continued to expand at 25 percent per annum, and if medium-term oil prices were to stabilize at about $60 per barrel, which is not impossible, then the Petroleum Fund would be completely exhausted within 8-10 years.

Blog Loron Ecónomico pointed out [pt] that the Petroleum Fund's value actually decreased for the first time between November and December of 2009:

Por ele se pode verificar que entre o fim de Novembro e o fim de Dezembro passados o Fundo viu o seu capital baixar de 5.464,4 milhões de dólares para 5.376,6 milhões. Isto ficou a dever-se principalmente à combinação de dois factores: uma perda de valor dos títulos que constituem o Fundo Petrolífero devido à queda das bolsas internacionais, por um lado, e e à transferência para o Orçamento Geral do Estado de um pouco mais de 150 mil dólares.

Verificou-se, pois, uma queda do valor do Fundo durante o mês de Dezembro de 2009.

[The report] shows that between the end of last November and December the Fund saw its capital drop from US$5.464 billion to $5.376 billion. This was due principally to the combination of two factors: a loss in the value of securities that constitute the Petroleum Fund due to the drop in international markets, on one hand, and the transfer to the State Budget of a little more than US$150 million. There was also then a drop in the Fund in the month of December 2009.

This year, the Petroleum Fund Law is up for review and this could lead to significant changes in the management of Timor's oil wealth.

Another potentially huge change is the creation of a National Oil Company. There may be political consensus around the idea, given that the current government is moving boldly ahead with the creation of the National Petroleum Authority, and the opposition while in government also appeared to favor a National Oil Company.

Last year, Vice Prime Minister (and one-time Governor of Indonesian Timor) Mário Carrascalão said to an international conference on the topic

80% of state revenues come from oil but those revenues are not produced by us. We are just watching other companies develop our resources. It is like before under the Portuguese occupation. It was the same; we just watched. It was also the same under the Indonesian occupation; we just watched. Now there is no occupation. But we are taking the rewards for work done by others.

For sure, we are lacking experience. But the time is right, now.

One real concern is that a National Oil Company would probably pay better than government regulatory bodies, and could draw away all of the talent from regulating the oil and gas sector. Besides a lack of trained people to work for the Company, one of the issues will be how it pays for capital investments necessary for its growth. (The suggestion that capital could come directly from the Petroleum Fund has some worried.)

Along with the issue of Land, debates over the Petroleum Law and the National Oil Company will likely be heated this year, and continue to gain importance over the coming years.

(Des)envolvimentu by Timor Cartoon shared under a CC license.

Poet “Minarai” (meaning “Oil” in Tetum) shared a sobering sentiment on the group poetry blog Timor Do Norte ao Sul [pt]

QUANDO O PETROLEO DORMIA
NO NOSSO TEMPO DE INFANCIA
PAZ E AMOR SEMPRE EXISTIA
POBREZA NAO TINHA IMPORTANCIA

AGORA LIQUIDO INFERNAL
QUE ACORDASTE EM TERRA MINHA
TROUXESTE GRANDE VENDAVAL
MATANDO O AMOR QUE A GENTE TINHA

While the oil lay dormant
When we were still just kids
Poverty was not so significant
Love and peace always existed

Now infernal liquid mess
That you awoke in my home
You brought a great tempest
Killing the love that we'd grown

This post was the first of a series of two on Timor's natural resource wealth. The second post will look at the ongoing negotiations over maritime boundaries, future natural gas exploration in the Timor Sea, and the issue of a pipeline.

The iHub, an innovation center for techies, developers and innovators was launched in Nairobi this week. What exactly is the iHub?:

iHub – Nairobi’s Innovation Hub for the technology community – is here! It’s an open space for the technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers in the area. This space is a tech community facility with a focus on young entrepreneurs, web and mobile phone programmers and designers. It is part open community workspace (co-working), part vector for investors and VCs and part incubator.

Several leading bloggers attended the event and here are their stories, photos and videos.

VC4Africa describes what the iHub will be about:

High speed internet, a comfortable and cool working environment, and a space for events and meetings to take place is what the iHub is about. It's run and managed by members of the local tech community.

It isn’t just a business. The end goal of the Innovation Hub in Nairobi is not to make money and be more profitable. Instead, it is to grow a stronger technology community in Nairobi, one where developers, designers, VCs and businesses are all better connected and mutually benefiting from the growth.

Bankelele considers the event a Nairobi Tech Moment:

iHub Nairobi: Our fabulous friends at Ushahidi are in the news for their recent technological endeavors which have been used in earthquakes rescue & relief in Haiti and Chile. But back here in Kenya, is something even more momentous, which is the unveiling & launch of the Nairobi iHub on March 3 2010.

The event, Sheila writes, was Geek Heaven in Nairobi:

Last night I went to Geek Heaven in Nairobi….and it looked kind of ordinary at first…. except we were in some kind of room in a building, with the skyline of Nairobi as the backdrop. It was the IHub Launch www.ihub.co.ke in Nairobi, Kenya and the evening was packed full of geeks, super geeks, TEDsters, futurists and a number of possible “Post humans” – people with artificially enhanced intelligence.

iHub, she argues, is a celebration of the power of ideas in Africa:

The IHub celebrates the fact that here in Africa we are beginning to value and invest in the power of ideas, as the essential currency for future progress and change. The iHub is a realization of the “Mindstep” or paradigm shift towards the areas where technology approaches a barrier, and new technologies emerge to cross it.

Njeri witnessed the launching and posts photos from the event:

The launch of IHub - Nairobi's Innovation Hub was yesterday at the Bishop Gatimu Magua Centre on Ngong Rd. The vent brought together the tech community in Nairobi as well as lovers of technology.
I was the unofficial blogger paparazzi and I can assure you that anyone who was in that event was captured on still.

Lone Ranger says iHub is simply what developers need:

This is the way to go, as there are a lot of smart guys out there with no means of putting ideas into action. This is just amazing. I attended the launch of iHub jana and it was good to see who is who in the IT field was there. The amazing thing was that almost all of the guys there were of age 40 and below, or 90% of the guys were 40 and below.
This is just what us developers need.

Kenya Christian writes:

This space is a tech community facility with a focus on young entrepreneurs, web and mobile phone programmers and designers. It is part open community workspace (co-working), part vector for investors and VCs and part incubator.

Nikolas was not invited to the event so he decided to watch TV instead. It was an invitation only event.

Now since i missed an invite to the premier iHubnairobi launch event of the day i shall sit about over here watching TV and regaling you lot with the most minute minutiae of my life currently and the current search for a one in all cell service provider.

Things you should know about the event:

■There will be eight lightning-style 5-minute talks done by local techies as part of IgniteNairobi (see Global Ignite Week for more)
■Keeping up to date with the event, we’ll be live streaming it via Ustream here.
■The first 100 attendees – who are on the list as confirmed -will get one of the new iHub t-shirts designed by the guys at The Ark and printed by Bonk. (Yes, they are incredibly cool).
■The floorplans and layout for the iHub are about done, but no buildout has started happening.
■We’re having a cocktail tonight, so it’s drinks and bitings/hors d’oeuvres.

Sam is happy that the event was given good TV coverage by KTN:

Launching of Ihub was quite phenomenon for the technical community. The fact that KTN gave it such a good coverage and substantial air time on Financial Markets live was quite encouraging.

Ihub creates a platform for Kenyan software and web developers as well other techies to meet and collaborate to bring out various innovations. The facility is equipped with a host of resources including fast internet provided by KDN and Zuku.

What will it take for the iHub to succeed?:

For iHub to succeed it has to become self-sustaining knowledge ecosystem. A place which will continuously appeals to great minds and produce wonderful applications, systems and ideas. Not all animals were equal in animals Kingdom and the same will applies here but in a good way. Yeah the doers will be given priority over the talkers. The reason is bright, innovative people like to be around other bright, innovative people. According iHub blog:
“We have never promised equality within the iHub, doers will be given preferential treatment to talkers and browsers. It’s a meritocracy, where those who create new and cool things are given more and better access.”

The Role of Government is critical in this, and it was refreshing to hear Mr.Paul Kukubo pledging that the government through ICT Board will be actively involved as a partner in iHub.

According to White African, the iHub isn't completely built yet:

The new iHub in Nairobi isn’t completely built out yet (in fact, it’s still basically just concrete and few painted walls…), however that won’t stop us from having a party to celebrate the opening of the new innovation hub here! It starts at 5:30pm (Kenya time) at the iHub (map).

Here is Njeri's web album of the event. Afrinnovator has posted videos of the event.

Security, in the Caucasus and beyond… prepares for International Women's Day by chronicling key developments in women's rights in the region. However, with many traditional practices slow to die out, the blog says that changes in societal values brought about during the Soviet years have been overturned since independence. In particular, it notes, this includes the custom of women retaining their virginity until marriage, domestic violence, and the resurgence of patriarchy.

ANTV, an online citizen media site co-founded by imprisoned video blogging youth activist Emin Milli and recently awarded for its contribution to freedom of the press in the region, posts a video report on the chaotic urban development in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.

Victor's list of 15 annoying things in Malawi: “The frequent power failures by the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM). One ends up buying countless bundles of candles or if you can afford purchase and run a generator!”

A web site for the first ever Social Innovation Camp in the South Caucasus has been set up at http://sic-caucasus.net. The event, aimed at promoting the use of social media to implement actual projects for civil society and activists in the region, will be held as part of the Social Media for Social Change conference held at the beginning of April in Tbilisi, Georgia.

“The book is not only the door to other wonderful world[s], but it is the best teacher, university and source of wisdom”: Dominica Weekly extolls the benefits of reading.

Rajesh wonders whether the FIFA World Cup 2010 will be an opportunity for nation building in South Africa.

The force exerted by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rattled Chile in the early morning hours of February 27 has shocked a country that is used to the earth shaking underneath their feet. Quakes are commonplace in Chile; since 1906 and counting this most recent earthquake, Chile has experienced 28 earthquakes [es]—without counting the smaller in magnitude but still frequent seismic activity that is often felt around the country. The three biggest earthquakes that many Chileans can still remember left 30,000 dead in 1939, 3,000 in 1960, and 177 in 1985.

The international community together with Chileans living abroad have praised Chile’s preparedness in front of this devastating situation, which could have had an even higher casualty total.

Cory Hunt in the blog Better Now than Never wrote a post on February 28 about the earthquake in Chile. The post begins by saying:

I have been following the events that have taken place in Chile today, as well as the subsequent tsunami warnings that have spread across the Pacific. The Chilean government, society, and people should be praised for their readiness in dealing with such a catastrophic natural disaster…as of this writing, Chile has still not appealed for international help even though the death toll has topped 300.

Destruction in Santiago, Chile after earthquake. Picture uploaded by flick user Ignacio Nuñez C. and used under a Creative Commons license.

El Pollo from the blog De Cualquier Vaina [es] lived in Santiago for six months in 1998 and felt three earthquakes while he was there. He describes what he saw during one of them and the importance of the building structures for safety:

En mi estadía sentí 3 y en uno de ellos vi, -mientras estaba despertándome en mi cama-, como por la ventana de mi apartamento en Apoquindo, se asomaban los edificios que tenía enfrente y el mío se mecía como un columpio. Estaba impresionado con las edificaciones ya que estaban en su mayoría construídos bajo estrictos códigos para mantenerse en pie ante los movimientos telúricos. Los chilenos dicen que en cada década había un terremoto fuerte que dejaba “la escoba”. Es decir, que volvía un desastre las ciudades.

During my stay I felt 3 and during one of them I saw –while I was getting out of bed- how the buildings in front of me appeared through the window of my apartment in Apoquindo (street in Santiago) and how mine rocked like a swing. I was impressed with the buildings since most of them where built under strict codes to remain standing during seismic movements. Chileans say that every decade there was a strong earthquake that left the city “la escoba” (like a broom) . That means, the earthquakes turned cities into disaster zones.

The Puerto Rican blog Puerto Space [es] compared Chile´s experience to that of Haiti during their recent earthquake, and wonders how such an event would affect Puerto Rico:

Pero, por que al ser el terremoto de Chile mas grande que el de Haiti, hubieron menos muertes? Todo se trata de la preparación del país para manejar la situación. Chile es un país en la costa pacifica de América del Sur, con una economía solida en América del Sur y una gran historia con los sismos. No es la primera vez que un gran terremoto extremece a Chile, pues este es el tercer terremoto de sobre 8.7 en Chile. Haiti es un país mas pobre, y no estaba preparado para un gran sismo como Chile. Las autoridades de Haiti estiman los muertos en los 220,000 mientras que en Chile son en los cientos. Ahora la pregunta que nos preguntamos en Puerto Rico todos los días. Estaremos preparados para un gran terremoto?

But why during the earthquake in Chile which was larger than the one in Haiti, there were less casualties? Everything is due to the country’s preparation to manage the situation. Chile is a country in the Pacific coast of South America, with a solid economy in South America and a large history of earthquakes. It is not the first time that an earthquake has hit Chile, this being the third earthquake over 8.7 magnitude in Chile. Haiti is a poorer country, and they were not prepared for a big earthquake like Chile. Haitian authorities estimate 220,000 casualties while in Chile casualties are still in the hundreds. Now the question that we ask every day in Puerto Rico. Are we ready for a big earthquake?

Damage after earthquake. Picture uploaded by flickr user todosnuestrosmuertos and used under a Creative Commons license.

In the midst of devastating news from around the world regarding other natural disasters, Chile’s preparedness stands as an example, showing that –despite the casualties and physical damage it has suffered—a much worse scenario was avoided thanks to infrastructure built to withstand earthquakes and a well-established government prepared to answer to disaster.

Felipe Vallejos, a Chilean living in the Dominican Republic, pointed out on his blog El Rincón del Chileno [es] that even with Chile’s physical preparation, the emotional damage is something no one is ever prepared for. He finishes with high hopes that his country will rebuild itself like it has so many other times:

Aunque siempre se destacó la preparación que Chile tiene para este tipo de fenómenos naturales, nadie puede ser preparado para perder la vida, nadie puede ser preparado para apurar la despedida, ni nadie será preparado para vivir la impotencia en los ojos de una señora que no pudo salvar a su hija, en la desesperación de saber que debajo de los escombros hay vidas que pueden ser salvadas, o en vivir en la incertidumbre más desoladora de la que se tenga memoria.

Chile se ha recuperado antes, pero el dolor ha sido irreparable. La naturaleza se ha ensañado una vez más con uno de los países más sísmicos del mundo, pero la fuerza de su gente, la energía positiva y todo el cariño de la comunidad internacional, harán que el pueblo chileno pueda sanarse, aunque para ello, necesite tiempo, esfuerzo y amor propio por su tierra.

Although Chile's preparation for this type of natural phenomenon has stood out, no one can be prepared to lose their life, no one can be prepared to hasten goodbyes, and no one will ever be prepared to experience the helplessness in the eyes of a woman who couldn't save her daughter, the desperation of knowing that under the rubble there are lives that can be saved, or living under the worst uncertainty anyone can remember.

Chile has recuperated before, but the pain has been irreparable. The force of nature has shown itself one more time in one of the most seismic countries of the world, but the strength of its people, the positive energy, and the affection from the international community, will make the Chilean people heal, even though it will take time, effort, and love for their country.

Armenia: Higher Education & Sciences reports that a Diplomatic Academy supported by the EU, OSCE and UN has been opened in Yerevan with the purpose of creating future career diplomats. The blog notes that several among the first intake were women.

“My name is Bahamboula Gertrude. I was a stonecutter in Kinkala before the war. I helped make stones used for building houses. When the war began they started destroying houses instead of building them …” Photo of Gertrude cutting stones published with permission from Silence Speaks.

Seven women affected by Congo-Brazzaville’s (also known as Republic of Congo) civil wars between 1997 and 2003 came together in November 2009 for a four-day digital storytelling workshop organized in a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (UNDP-BCPR) and the Center for Digital Storytelling’s initiative Silence Speaks. Since their beginnings in 1999, Silence Speaks, which is based in the United States, has coordinated more than 40 projects across the United States, and in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo-Brazzaville, South Africa, and Uganda.

Congo-Brazzaville workshop group. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

On behalf of Global Voices, I interviewed the director of Silence Speaks, Amy Hill, to learn more about this wonderful project. Amy explains that their workshops blend oral history, popular education, and participatory media production, enabling people to create short videos about their own lives, with stories that may otherwise go unheard.

“We modify our methods to accommodate languages, literacies, and technologies in a given setting and emphasize reflection on the implications of bringing sensitive personal narratives into the public sphere. Following careful informed consent processes, stories are shared locally and globally, as strategic tools for training, community mobilization, and policy advocacy to promote well being, gender equality, and human rights,” she says.

GV: How did you start working with women survivors of war in the Republic of Congo?

Amy: “In April of 2009, I was approached by a staff member with UNDP’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (BCPR) in Geneva about the possibility of developing digital storytelling work in the context of UNDP’s Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs…

“In recent years, BCPR personnel have recognized that critical to the success of their efforts are the development of communications strategies that ensure a voice and audience for those directly affected by conflict. Because we shared a particular interest in women’s health and well-being and because DDR efforts have been criticized for failing to emphasize the need for gender-specific approaches to post-conflict support, we outlined a collaborative project to assist a small group of women affected by/involved with the most recent civil war in Congo Brazzaville (1997 – 2003) in sharing their stories.

“The goal of the project was two-fold: (1) to use a participatory production process in creating a collection of short videos and radio pieces that can be screened by UNDP in various local and international settings (ie, at community events,  trainings, conferences, meetings, web presentations, etc.) to highlight examples of success and positive change; and (2) to provide a mechanism for addressing the deep scars left in the region in the wake of years of conflict (both through the workshop process itself, and through subsequent distribution of the digital stories in Congo).”

GV: With what local organizations did Silence Speaks work with in Congo?

Kinkala. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

Amy: “The BCPR chose Republic of Congo as a site for the project because its DDR team maintains a special emphasis on income generation activities for women. Local UNDP communications officers and program staff based in Brazzaville (the country’s capital) and Kinkala (a heavily war-affected city in Congo’s Pool region, where much of the most brutal fighting took place) were involved in project planning from the outset.

“A key piece of the participant recruitment process involved informing interested women from the outset that their stories were intended for public sharing. After years of working in extremely resource-poor settings and in communities experiencing high levels of poverty and distress, I do not view “informed consent” as a one-time procedure involving the signing of forms. Instead, I am committed to weaving the notion of consent throughout projects…

“Our goal with the project was to support as best we could a process that gave the women themselves a sense of clear ownership over their work and a sense of commitment to how their stories can assist community reconciliation and peace building activities in the wake of war both locally and globally.”

Workshop in Congo-Brazzaville. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

GV: What forms of media did the women survivors select (video, audio, text, photographs, internet-based) to narrate their stories?

Amy: “Most of the women who participated in the workshop had less than a sixth grade education and had never had access to any media-making tools. We wanted to design a workshop process that would be empowering rather than intimidating, and we were limited in terms of local technology resources (again, electricity is scarce in Kinkala, and computers are virtually nonexistent), so we focused the participatory aspect on photography and drawing rather than on the use of computers.

“Prior to the four-day session, UNDP staff carried out an orientation for the women to go over the purpose of the project and describe what would happen in the construction of stories. Each participant was given a disposable camera, and UNDP staff offered a short training session on photography basics and camera use.

“Several weeks later, we gathered in Kinkala for four days, where the women shared and recorded stories and drew illustrations. We also shot additional photos and videos on site. Participants turned in their cameras, and the photos were developed. Afterwards, I edited these materials into finalized short videos and radio spots.”

GV: How did the women who participated in the workshops describe the experience of telling their stories?

Florence Malanda at the Coop. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

Amy:Time and resource limitations made it impossible for us to do focused interviewing with the participants about how they felt in the aftermath of sharing their stories, but the sense of relief and pride was palpable, on the last day of the session. During a short debriefing conversation, workshop participant Florence Malanda, Head of the Kinkala Women's Cooperative, said, “These testimonials will help to raise awareness with all Congolese people on the consequences of war. We hope that UNDP's support will also help other women who are suffering around the world.”

GV: What is the role of multimedia tools and the Internet in these storytelling projects?

Amy: “At the Center for Digital Storytelling, we view multimedia/digital media tools as just that: tools to assist people in sharing meaningful stories from their lives. We do not glorify them or see them as in and of themselves capable of bringing about change. We believe that what is important is how and why these tools are used.

“With Silence Speaks, I am not interested in “collecting stories” just for the sake of creating an archive of stories; I am interested in critically examining the ways in which the process of sharing and listening to stories can lead to specific changes across multiple levels of human experience and influence.

“Of course user friendly digital editing and production tools are essential to this idea, if the stories are to be developed in media formats. But teaching people technology skills alone or dumping equipment into their communities absent a coherent plan for how these skills or equipment can be utilized to promote an analysis of people’s life circumstances, build political consciousness, or support community/civic engagement, etc., seems to me to be extremely misguided. Instead, I take a Freirean approach to the use of the tools – one that views technology as an enhancement to a process of learning and empowerment.

“When it comes to the role of the internet, particularly in relation to projects like the work with women in Congo, I would caution readers to think carefully about who benefits from the proliferation of narratives of suffering and sorrow, online. Is it the storytellers themselves? Or is it media outlets, NGOs and government agencies with particular funding/programmatic agendas, and distant viewers sitting alone at their computers who can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that such tragedies are remote and pitiable?

“Certainly I am complicit in this equation, since I clearly stand the benefit from the outreach and publicity that sharing stories on the internet can bring about. However, when it comes to project development, I prefer to focus not only on strategies for internet distribution but on mechanisms for sharing stories with local audiences, where they have the potential to really make a difference.

“My colleagues at WITNESS have offered useful mentoring along these lines, with their emphasis on “micro audiences” and video advocacy. In the case of the Congo women’s stories, the collaboration with UNDP stresses not only distribution in international venues but also distribution locally, via community screening and dialogue sessions in Kinkala, and distribution throughout the Pool Region and nationally, via radio broadcasts and associated call-in programming on issues of conflict and reconciliation.”

Workshop participants. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

GV: How can telling one's story be empowering?

Amy: “Trauma expert Judith Herman contends that while telling one’s story can be healing, participating in collective action at the community level also plays an important role in nurturing recovery. This is why Silence Speaks aims to support individual transformation and empowerment while simultaneously building the resilience of participants for involvement in community building and social justice movements.

“It’s really important to stress, though, that before any of the above benefits can be realized, people must feel ready and able to share their stories. Most people will come to the digital storytelling process when they are emotionally and physically strong enough to do so, but some may not be able to assess their own readiness.”

Vesti.ru wrote [RUS] about the visit of the U.S. “innovation delegation” [EN] led by America's Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra [EN]. The plans of the Russian-U.S. cooperation include launching e-government Web sites and visits of Twitter, Cisco and Mozilla representatives to Russia in June 2010.

Blogger w7062c wrote [RUS] about two unsuccessful attempts to connect Sakhalin island [EN] (island in the Pacific north closer to Japan) to the broadband network of Russia. The third attempt is scheduled for 2011. Until then, 580,000 inhabitants of the island are able to go online via satellite only.

ISABT Newsletter

In July 2009 I had the privilege of catching up with old friends and meeting some new faces when Jonathan Thurston, his wife Kristi, and past and present students arrived in Ghana to carry out a book making project with students at a primary school in Elmina, in the Central Region of Ghana.

What’s so special? They use simple, portable technology to inspire creativity and facilitate learning among Ghana’s poorest students. And they use ‘social media’ to establish networks with like-minded individuals and organizations internationally, enhancing development opportunities and increasing the possibility of involving other communities and countries as the organization grows.

I interviewed Jonathan, the founder, about 2009 summer’s project and the organization behind the project: The Intl School of Art, Business and Technology (ISABT). Founded in 2006 by Jonathan Thurston, Trudy Obazee, former Chair of the Accounting Department at Albright College, and Sarah Philbrick, ISABT's mission is to operate educational programs in Ghana and give children an opportunity to become authors. You can view some of the books that students wrote in July 2009 at the Ghana Reale Library. For those interested, download Reale Writer from the Reale site.

I asked Johnathan:

Kojo's story

What groups are you working with in Ghana?

We’re working with schools and we’re trying to work with the PTA to sustain our program. We have some help from other NGOs like Global Mamas with housing or advice. We have people that we work with in Ghana here that can go around and make appointments before we arrive to save us a lot of time. You know, sometimes things take a while so if we can get the ball rolling a month before we come and jump right in when we arrive.

So you’re working with Ghanaians on the ground?

Yes, former teachers. We have one who was actually hired to run the book making program. And what I’m trying to do is put our research from this summer and from the past together to educational units and share it with teachers across developing countries and solve their problems before they have them, like an issue with ink or different technology issues or equipment. Ideally you would have the educational units ready and all you need is a working printer and a working laptop that can run the software, and some paper and some crayons. If you have that, you can run it.

A video of 2008's visit with the teachers.

Last summer I came for a week and saw the possibility and impact that it had. One school I went to, Kakum Oda, had no power and very few books and resources. I only had a week and I had asked for just two students to work with to see. On the first day I sat down with the head teacher and greeted her and said, ‘Thank you for working with me, so, it would be great to meet the two students.’ And she started laughing. She said, ‘There’s more than two.’ I said, ‘Really, more than two?’ I thought, maybe, there’d be four or six. No. Every kid in the school wrote a story already! There were over a hundred stories. They all came up all of a sudden and put them on the desk. Just from hearing about the project they’d all written a story.

I couldn’t do all the stories last summer but I what I saw was that people want to do them. So we’re working through those stories and I have my college kids illustrating them, putting them into software—we’re working our way through that pile.

Click You Tube to watch the Elmina Authors at work and interviewed.

Elmina authors

So what’s happening this summer?

This summer we have a new program where we have writing instruction. It’s about how to write a story, descriptive language, setting, character, and plot. One thing I noticed with the pile of stories was that there was little structure so one thing we did this summer was introduce story-writing instruction—and they totally get it. From a few paragraphs to pages—we’re seeing very descriptive and rich stories.

I was just watching them write. I noticed some are copying—naughty kids. And some are writing freehand. The title of one story was “The girl who married a ghost”. I want to know what happens in that story.

I want to read that story. And maybe some will be copying from one at the beginning, we’re all going to sit and read them together and if we get a story twice, we’ll know.

Could you tell me what a typical session with the kids entails?

We’re still learning, but when I came last summer one thing I noticed is that a lot of the stories didn’t have a beginning, middle or an end. For a well-rounded story you have to introduce the story, tell the story, and then tie it up at the end. We talk about that during the teaching sessions.

I’ve been doing a lot of research into folk stories as well for a couple of years now, especially from West Africa. You know Ananse?  When I see an Ananse story, I know, often, whether it’s an original. If they do want to tell an Ananse story that’s fine, but we encourage them to make it their own a little bit and enrich it to make it different.

Click on the link to watch the children in the Book Making Project.

Book making 2009

How does the project work this summer?

We’re working with this school and they pitched in their own money to buy the computers they have. Even though the computers are often twenty years old, although they have some newer ones, it’s still a foundation to start.

We brought volunteers from the USA with lap tops. They could work with three students each and put the stories into the lap tops. The next thing they’ll do tomorrow is proof-reading and illustrating pictures for the stories. The students write and illustrate the story and we help them get them on the lap top. And tomorrow we’ll run a training session for the teachers too, so when we leave they’ll be able to do it on their own.

What happens to their stories when they finish writing them?

On the final day we’ll have a book celebration. We’ll give each student a printed book and give a laptop and printer to the school. It’s everything they need to keep it going with the teacher who’s been involved from the beginning.

We’re promoting the healthy book cycle: Read, Create, Share. Always start with reading. Even better: start with reading a book another student has written. Then they get inspired to create a book that they then share. And then the next student will read it and be inspired to create and share. That’s the healthy book cycle. If they keep this going, it’s going to keep building. What we want to do is make sure they can continue to the cycle.

How does the books online work?

We have a library for Ghana. So any book made in Ghana is welcome to be included in that library. Anyone can access it. It’s all free. The software is free. The library is free. These books are available for anyone to read if they have a PC and internet. Kids from Kenya, Brooklyn, New Jersey and California will be reading these books. And they’re making their own books and putting them online too and kids in Ghana will be able to read those. And they can pull them off the library and print them.

Spotlighting Jonathan in Ghana this year on You Tube

It’s inspiring. What is your vision for the future?

If we can get it working here, we can build a model that we can replicate. We also want to build a community centre to work with the schools and run after school programs. We would have a small library and computer lab and do programs like the book making program. We want to provide resources to run programs for the future. If someone wants to run an accounting workshop, we’ll bring an accountant from the US or a local accountant and run the workshop. We want to get involved in the community and give them what they need: programs that can enhance the community.

You spoke about the Ghanaian students who came from the USA to volunteer this summer; can you tell me about their involvement?

One is a former student of mine from Albright and one is a current student; he’s getting college credit for working on this project. Their help has been so wonderful on so many levels. They’re both so committed. I think the reactions of the students working in the project are special for them. For a Ghanaian student to study in the USA is very expensive so they’re from families that can afford that. They come back and help out the kids and hopefully those kids will have that opportunity in future. And it’s good role model for the students here to see someone who’s worked hard and graduated from university who cares about Ghana, coming back: someone like them but a bit older. It’s inspiring for the kids.

The educational paradigm is drawn as a pyramid and goes that everyone gets in on the bottom, but the higher up, the narrower it gets, less people in. We’re trying to make that pyramid a square.

Read the featured book, The Bakatue Festival, at RealeBooks.

Visit ISABT here. Join them on Facebook at People Who Want to Help. They blog at ISABT. You can check out how to make books at Making Books in Ghana demo.