By Hamid Tehrani

Several bloggers reported that the Iranain famous singer, Mohammad Nouri passed away today in Iran. Here is one of his most songs, Jane Maryam.

By Rodrigo Penalba · Translated by Silvia Viñas · View original post [es]

Flyer for Event 2.0 Meeting of Blogs and New Media

Experts in digital communities will come together for the 2.0 Meeting of Blogs and New Media (in Spanish, ”2.0 Encuentro de Blogs & Nuevos Medios”) which will take place on August 12 and 13 at the Central American University (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua. The activity is a practical assessment of web tendencies and the power these alternative ways of communication have to influence public and private spheres.

The gathering [es] will include the participation of experts from Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, who will give lectures, workshops and more. The main subjects will be: New Media and Cultural Diversity and Development; Citizen Participation and Advocacy; Content Production for New Media; New Scenarios: mobile applications, new uses and methods, perspectives on the future.

“It is a culturally enriching experience, but it also involves a proposal to emphasize that web activity is not only a novelty, but also a learning method that generates real debate that may influence public opinion,” comments David Ruíz López-Prisuelos, Coordinator at Spain Cultural Center in Nicaragua (Centro Cultural de España en Nicaragua, CCEN).

To help visualize the lectures, the event will begin with a panel discussion about the use of these tools. The panel includes La Carpio Online Project (”Proyecto La Carpio en Línea”) [es]” from Costa Rica, Everything for the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (”Todo por la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua”) [es] from Facebook and Another World is possible (”Otro mundo es posible”) [es]: Organization and action of Nicaraguan social movements on the web. An interesting element will be the use of an open microphone for bloggers to share their experiences.

“It is an activity to discuss the current state of mass media and the tendencies toward other formats that range from micro-blogging to podcasting, and how the media is adapting to various uses and needs that range from basic social organizing to its use in large companies,” says Rodrigo Peñalba [es], an author for Global Voices, a specialist in cultural production in new media and CCEN's special guest to help organize the event.

During the second day, journalist Cristian Cambronero [es] from Costa Rica, Global Voices author Renata Ávila from Guatemala and Yuliana Isabel Paniagua [es] from Global Voices' project “Hiperbarrio” in Colombia will present on experiences in citizen participation on the web. There will also be a teleconference from the BBC in London, workshops on content creation and a conversation with Nicaraguan bloggers Emila Persola [es], Freddy Quezada [es], Space for Alternative Communication and Sexual Diversity (Espacio de Comunicación Alternativa por la Diversidad Sexual [es]), and Fabio Buitrago [es], who will talk about video-blogging as a channel for environmental education and action.

The lecture series will conclude with a presentation about new tendencies on the increasingly common use of blogs and new media by business corporations,  and with case studies on the management of social networks in the world of advertising. The event will be open to the public until full capacity is reached, giving priority to those who register on the official blog where news and updates will be posted.  For more information visit El encuentro de blogs [es], and also the program [es] and list of Confirmed Presenters [es].

By Karlo Mikhail Mongaya

FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES posts more than a dozen pictures of the church, old houses, and other historical sites of the Philippine city of Santa Rosa.

By Silvia Viñas

On July 28 and 29 Peruvians celebrated their independence festivities. Juan Arellano from Globalizado published a post [es] with a song that seems to summarize what being Peruvian is all about. He later published another post [es] with more songs. Both posts represent a summary of some of the musical styles from Peru.

By Ndesanjo Macha

MightAfrican writes about a new movie from Ghana, Sinking Sands: “Recently, Leila sent me the trailer for the movie. “Sinking Sands” is about a couple, Jimah (Jimmy Jean-Louis from Haiti) and Pabi (Ama K. Abebrese from Ghana) in a loving marriage which turns into one of violence and abuse when Jimah becomes disfigured in a domestic accident.”

By Debora Baldelli

Listed among the five toughest laws in the world [pt] with regard to access to information and cultural products in protected works, the Brazilian Copyright Act (Law 9.610/98) is to be reformed. A public consultation [pt] is open until August the 31st, after an extension of the initial period of 45 days in order to expand the opportunity for participation. More than 1,200 contributions about the proposed changes, which have sparked intense debate in the blogosphere and twittosphera, have been submitted since June 14th. The Direito do Povo [pt] blog summarizes the discussion:

“A discussão sobre as aplicações da LDA é sempre complexa. De um lado, os autores e o respeito às suas obras. De outro, o direito de acesso à cultura e ainda os mecanismos que movem a economia e a indústria fonográfica.”

“The debate about the applications of the Copyright Act is always complex. On one hand, we have authors and respect for their works. On the other, the right of access to culture and also the driving mechanisms of the music economy and industry.”

There are important issues at the forefront of the proposed changes, such as the assignment of rights; the right to private copy; permission to copy out of print books; fair use rights to film and music exhibitions at schools as teaching materials; non-voluntary licenses and the role of the Government; the collection office and copyright collectives; and, the possibility of offline access to digitized files from cultural institutions, among other issues.

The most popular issues discussed on the web are public difficulties in accessing cultural information, author freedom related to their works and excessive profiteering by industry middlemen. Regarding the misconceptions of the current law, a researcher at the Center for Technology and Society at Fundação Getulio Vargas Marília Maciel states in an interview for Nós da Comunicação [pt]:

“O atual modelo de proteção de direito autoral privilegia muito mais o intermediário, seja editora ou gravadora, do que o artista propriamente dito. É preciso que se retome o foco no artista e que se estabeleçam limitações e exceções que possam trazer um equilíbrio de volta, dos interesses do artista e da sociedade em obter acesso ao conhecimento e às obras intelectuais.”

“The current model of copyright protection favors the middleman, either publishers or labels, over the artist. It is necessary to place the focus on the artist again and to establish limitations and exceptions to strike a balance between the interests of the artist and those of society in gaining access to knowledge and intellectual works.”

"Pirate is your mother!", by Cultura e Mercado Blog

The culture of freely sharing content and accessing information is often seen as piracy in Brazil. Leonardo Brant, from the Cultura e Mercado blog publishes the image above and questions what piracy is [pt]:

“O que é pirataria? Quem são os verdadeiros usurpadores do conhecimento alheio? Quem a pirataria beneficia? E quem atinge? Podemos considerar piratas crianças e jovens que compartilham arquivos, se apropriando do conhecimento gerado por nossa civilização? Quem é o autor de uma obra remixada? Existe obra 100% original? Como sobreviverá o artista diante da proliferação da dita “pirataria”? E a indústria cultural, é necessária numa época de compartilhamento de dados pier-to-pier?”

“What is piracy? Who are the true usurpers of someone else's knowledge? Who benefits from piracy? And who is hit by it? Can we consider children and young people who share files, appropriating themselves of the knowledge generated by our civilization, as pirates? Who is the author of a remixed work? Are there 100% original works? How will artists survive with the proliferation of this so-called “piracy”? Is the cultural industry necessary in a time of pier-to-pier data sharing?”

The Hackeando Aibo blog points to an incompatibility between the new law, existing technology and the online information sharing conjuncture:

“Ao disponibilizar conteúdo na rede o seu criado também não será prejudicado? Sim e Não. Na verdade é uma via de duas mãos. Se formos pensar pelo lado da desconstrução sim. Mas se formos pela construção a rede é uma nova plataforma com diversas maneiras de ser utilizada sem contar no seu potencial de divulgação, o maior do mundo sem sombra de dúvida. As possibilidades são muito maiores que as dificuldades na relação criador/ Internet. É é exatamente em cima delas que se deve trabalhar. O compartilhamento de informações na rede é um fato que já está dado e defender agora o copyright de 70 anos como as indústrias tem feito é continuar obsoleto frente a uma realidade.”

By providing their content on the web, will authors be harmed? Yes and No. It is actually a two-way street. If we think about “deconstruction”, it will. But if we go for “construction”, the web is a new platform that can be used in so many ways, not mentioning its potential for propagation, doubtless the largest in the world. The creator/Internet relationship presents far greater possibilities than difficulties. We should work on these [possibilities]. Information sharing on the web is already taken as fact and defending the 70 year old copyright laws, as the industry has been doing, is akin to becoming obsolete in the face of a reality.”

Although music seems to be in the forefront of the copyright debate, the issue is much deeper. The proposed changes have the main benefit of resolving important issues like the public right of access to culture. The “Cineclube: Apontamentos” [pt] blog emphasizes the importance of the new law for greater circulation of cultural production:

“A trajetória política desse anteprojeto de lei vai ser das mais momentosas, justamente pela importância central que tem no processo de apropriação e circulação da produção cultural que, por sua vez, são cada vez mais importantes para a preservação ou para a transformação das relações de poder na sociedade mundial.”

“The political trajectory of this draft bill will be one the most momentous decisions, precisely because of the central importance it has in the process of ownership and circulation of cultural production which, in turn, will be an increasingly important thing to maintain or transform relations of power in global society.”

One of the most challenged points in the current copyright law is the lack of collection transparency. For instance, the role of the Copyright Central Officer for Collection and Distribution (ECAD), a controversial copyright collective of musical works, is one of the most questioned, having even been the target of an investigation into cartels [pt] carried out by the Justice Cabinet, after a complaint that the collective sets indiscriminate and abusive license fees:

“A Lei do Direito Autoral confere ao Ecad o monopólio para arrecadação e distribuição dos valores relativos à execução pública dos direitos autorais. Os titulares dos direitos autorais podem fixar os valores para a execução pública de suas obras individualmente ou por meio de associações. No modelo vigente hoje, as associações fixam os valores dos direitos em conjunto, e não de forma individual. Segundo o ministério, o modelo de gestão coletiva dos direitos autorais conferiu ao Ecad o monopólio legal sobre as atividades de arrecadação e distribuição de valores, mas não sobre a atividade de fixação desses valores.

“The Copyright Act grants ECAD a monopoly on the collection of royalties and the distribution of royalties collected. Copyright holders may set the license fees for public performance of their works individually or through associations. Under the current model, the associations set the license fees of rights collectively, not individually. According to the [Justice] Cabinet, this model of collective management of copyright gives ECAD the legal monopoly on the activities of collection and distribution of license fees, but not on setting such fees.

The artist realm joins the debate. In this video [pt], composer Tim Rescala wonders how an association that should protect artists counts over 7,000 lawsuits filed against it because of irregularities in the collection of rights from those it should protect. Yet some believe the problem is not ECAD, but the lack of government surveillance, as record producer Nelson Motta states in this open letter to Rescala [pt]: 

O Ecad, como qualquer empresa, deve ser fiscalizado pelo Estado, que lhe cobra impostos, e pelo cumprimento de leis trabalhistas, comerciais e empresariais. Não é preciso lei nenhuma para isto, é uma empresa que presta serviços, ganha dinheiro e paga impostos.

ECAD, like any other business, must be supervised by the State, which tax them regarding compliance with labor, trade and business laws. There is no need for a law governing this, it is a company that provides services, makes money and pays tax.

Meanwhile, independent socio-cultural initiatives have been forced to close down due to the high rates of license fees charged by ECAD. The blog of Ação da Cidadania (Citizens' Action), for instance, announces that the planned free youth film screening that would launch the NGO's Film Society created with state funding had to be cancelled.

Citizens' Action Film Club cancelled

Although the debate about the new law is ongoing, a recent article on ARS Technica suggests that the United States has a lot to learn from the Brazilian decision to punish anyone who “hinders or impedes” fair use rights or obstructs the use of work that has already fallen into the public domain:

Brazil's proposal could be spun as something hostile to rightsholders, but it's not that simple. The law does provide protection for DRM [Digital Rights Management]; in general, it is illegal to remove, modify, bypass, or impair such anti-copying technology. It's just that rightsholders can't use DRM as a digital lock to give themselves more control over a work through technology than they have under the law. (…)

Canadian Professor Michael Geist, who has stressed the adequacy of the amendment introduced by the Brazilian legislator in relation to anti-circumvention activities, sums it up as a properly balanced approach that doesn't buy into the “more is better” approach to copyright protections: “In other words, the Brazilian proposals recognize what the Supreme Court of Canada stated several years ago - over-protection is just as harmful as under-protection.”

Even with apparent international support for the proposed changes to the Brazilian legislation, there is a need to place greater attention on the lack of dialogue between the country and relevant international treaties, as Marília Maciel emphasizes [pt]:

“Os tratados internacionais que o Brasil assina permitem que os países signatários incluam nas suas legislações nacionais limitações e exceções para uso educacional das obras intelectuais, para facilitar o acesso das obras aos deficientes, para se digitalizar os acervos de bibliotecas, por exemplo. Isso a nossa atual lei de direito autoral não permite. O Brasil tem padrões tão rígidos de proteção à propriedade intelectual que sequer reconhece as limitações e exceções que são facultadas pelos tratados internacionais. Eu acho que seria uma mudança bastante importante, que traria um equilíbrio muito maior entre interesses conflitantes.

“The international treaties signed by Brazil allow signatory countries to include in their national legislation limitations and exceptions for educational use of intellectual works, in order to facilitate access to these works for disabled people, and to digitize library collections, for example. Our current copyright law does not allow this. Brazil has such rigid standards of intellectual property protection that [the country] even fails to acknowledge limitations and exceptions provided by international treaties. I think this would be an extremely important change that would bring a much greater balance between conflicting interests.

At the end of the consultation, the text will be redrafted based on the proposals made by the public. There is no deadline for the Executive to submit the project to the Congress.

By Tomomi Sasaki

Nazra Zahri blogged - with gorgeous photos and a video - about her trip to Teshima, one of the seven islands that's celebrating Setouchi International Art Festival.

By Rezwan

Mezba at A Bengali in T.O. compares Bangladeshi wedding ceremonies in Bangladesh and Canada and you will be surprised with the findings.

By Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about Endre Ady (1877-1919), “one of the most famous Hungarian poets.”

By Veronica Khokhlova

Polish cities' coats of arms competition - at Polandian.

By Veronica Khokhlova

Danil Nikitin's photos from Kherson, Berdychiv and a number of other Ukrainian locations (UKR).

By Veronica Khokhlova

At Russia! blog, Tatyana Bokova-Foley re-posts photos of the graffiti in the Crimean capital of Simferopol and writes about the possible identity of the artist who created them.

By Veronica Khokhlova

Belgraded writes about a 1980s Serbian pop star's idea to introduce “extra taxes for authors of those works of media that fall under the category of ‘kitsch‘.”

By Janine Mendes-Franco

A monument in honour of the late master artisan Elpidio Collazo González “Maboití” is being prepared; The Voice of the Taino People Online describes him as “one of the island’s most illustrious carvers of local bird life from wood.”

By Mong Palatino

Sketch your Brain writes about the Kuala Lumpur Zine Fest 2010.

By Mong Palatino

Reacting to the uproar in India over a Facebook app which allows users to lighten their skin color, Andy Engelson observes that the idea of equating pale skin with beauty is also strong in Vietnam.

By Manuela Tenreiro

Spanish based storyteller and artist Boniface Ofogo Nkama, from Cameroon, was refused entry to Brazil last Friday because of the lack of a visa. He had been invited to participate in a Storytelling Symposium [pt], and the organizer, Benita Prieto, pours her heart out and tells all [pt].

By Gregory Asmolov

Mr. Freeman, Source: Wikipedia.ru

Two thirds of the Russian netizens are apolitical and use the Internet for entertainment only. Neither the opposition, nor pro-government politicians have succeeded in provoking mass discussions on social change and getting the Russian youth interested. It was Mr. Freeman, a sarcastic, gloomy and enigmatic cartoon character, who touched their souls, sparking their imagination and sense of humor, making millions think about the way they live their lives. The future of this popular meme is uncertain, yet his role in the contemporary Russian Internet culture is beyond debate.

The Public Opinion Fund's research of young people's online behavior patterns says that only 29 percent of Internet users are active in using the Internet as an information source. The majority, however, focus on entertainment and instrumental tasks.

At the same time there are various political forces trying to engage the youth audience in politics. In 2009, the so-called  “Thankless Bastards” social ad campaign [RUS], that was sponsored by the Youth Committee of the Russian Duma[RUS] called to the Russian youth: “The country is dying while you're wasting your time.” It suggested that patriotism should be transformed into activism in order to support the motherland. Another online movie [RUS], made by the pro-Kremlin youth organization “Nashi,” said that the West threatened Russia because it was “the land of resources for the 21st century” and the young Russian generation should defend the country.

The Russian opposition tried to engage the Russian youth online and distributed some protest messages through the social networks as well. Online music videos were used to spread the opposition's message. Rapper Dino MC47 published a “clip that will never be shown on TV” with a song about the lack of liberty [RUS] and called to avoid mistakes when choosing the country's leaders. Another “prohibited” video to the song “Mathematics” [RUS], by Katya Gordon, distributed online, was dedicated to the dispersal of the opposition rally on May 31, 2010.

Social networks, however, are not as effective a tool for political engagement as they might seem, many opposition activists say. “The problem of Vkontakte.ru is that the real-world engagement of its members is very low. Everyone joins groups and even writes something on the wall but it's very difficult for them psychologically to transform their online actions into something real,” Roman Dobrokhotov, an opposition activist, said [ENG] in a GV interview.

Some of the viral campaigns had caused an emergence of online discussions, but the effects were short-term. The wall of passivity remained.

There is one Internet campaign, however, that has succeeded in doing something that none other could. It attracted millions of views and sparked discussions about the necessity to change life and the degree of the required engagement in social, political, and existential issues. The online debates went far beyond common political discussions.

Mr. Freeman – an online cartoon character that deconstructs offline reality

Mr. Freeman is a character of a series of black-and-white cartoons. The first episode [RUS] of a “Grim Fandango” [EN]-like animation appeared on Sept. 21, 2009. Since then, 11 episodes have been published and the total number of views surpassed 6 million. Mr. Freeman has its own blog on LiveJournal, a website and numerous representations on various social networks. Despite many speculations, the names of Mr. Freeman’s creators still remain unknown. It’s clear, however, that it’s done by a very professional team of artists and animators. On April 15, 2010, Mr. Freeman received [EN] a Deutsche Welle “The Best of Blogs” award for the best video blog.

Mr. Freeman cartoons have no political messages. They focus on existential, philosophical issues of everyday life. Mr. Freeman appeals to the spectators, portraying the emptiness of their lives, which consist of consumerism, entertainment and laughing at others. The first part of the movie was entitled “Are you sure about who you are and whether you exist?” “Are you real? Are you unique? You are just a small screw in the system,” says Mr. Freeman. He gradually and consistently deconstructs the world of a typical RuNet user, mocking values, common knowledge, morality and social hierarchies.

“Треть жизни на сон, треть - на жрать и спать, треть - на ненависть к любимой работе. Ты мог бы заниматься чем-то настоящим, ты понимаешь? Но что стало с твоей мечтой? Мы все такие. Каждый сам по себе - человек с большой буквы. Но вот нас двое и каждый смотрит на другого, жадно выискивая недостатки. Вы ненавидите и презираете друг друга, и эта взаимная ненависть - единственное, что делает вас целым”.

You spend one-third of your life on sleeping, one-third – on eating, and one-third on hating your beloved job. You could do something real, do you understand it? But what's happened to your dream? We are all like this. Everyone single person is [an individual with a capital ‘I']. But suddenly there are two of us and we both look at each other, eager to find each other's shortcomings. You hate and despise each other, and this mutual hatred is the only thing that unifies you.

Mr. Freeman triggers and supports recreation of his audiences through critical analysis of their identity and environment. In one of the episodes, he suggests building a monument to an anonymous prostitute; in another, he addresses masturbation as a fitting phenomenon for a generation that is focused on fast pleasure.

Despite his virtual nature, Mr. Freeman has been interviewed a few times. In an interview to his Vkontakte.ru fans, Mr. Freeman defined [RUS] himself as an “idea embedded in a digital entity.” The meaning of freedom, according to Mr. Freeman, is “being aware that you live in slavery.” In another interview, Mr. Freeman defined [RUS] his mission as a “revolution of consciousness for those who are capable of committing this heroic deed.” Mr. Freeman also explains [RUS] his relations with the Internet:

[…] это мой мир. Я им дышу, и он позволяет мне общаться со слушателем и зрителем. На бескрайних просторах этой загаженной от края до края сети можно встретить удивительных людей!

[…] this is my world. I breath it, and it makes possible for me to communicate with my readers and viewers. In this endless and [totally contaminated] network, you can meet wonderful people!

The Russian online encyclopedia Lurkmore defines [RUS] Mr. Freeman series as “a tool in the struggle between the cattle [a name for vulgar, poorly-educated people] and non-cattle” (“инструментом борьбы небыдла с быдлом”). Others consider Mr. Freeman as a viral marketing campaign for spirituality. Mr. Freeman has become something of a virtual prophet. Russian online users compare him to Neo from The Matrix, Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Che Guevara and Jesus, and even call him a modern Buddha.

Mr. Freeman has become a symbol. As Che Guevara, he might be found on t-shirts [RUS], graffiti [RUS] and even tattoos [RUS]. But his most important achievement are endless discussions of the meaning of the enigmatic Mr. Freeman and his messages.

Mr. Freeman: impact and credibility

The main question that is raised by bloggers is how the young generation should react to the messages of the online meme. Another question is the credibility of his messages.

Viktor Chetvertakov writes [RUS] at Mr. Freeman's Vkontakte.ru fan page:

Ролики не самоцель, ребята. Того, что было - уже достаточно. Нас тронули и мы начали просыпаться. Мы еще в полудреме, но уже можем выйти из этого состояния сами. Пора вставать - хватит ждать, пока нас потрясут еще.

Guys, the movies are not the goal. What we have already seen is enough. We've been touched and we are beginning to wake up. We are still semi-sleeping, but already capable of waking up on our own. It’s time to get up - we shouldn't wait for someone to shake us again.

Some users explain Mr. Freeman’s success by his ability to approach the young audience, speaking in their own language with clear, even simplified, messages. Roman Nastenko suggests [RUS] why Mr. Freeman is successful in influencing his audience:

Сила Фримена в том, что он — массовый продукт. Люди, которые хотят что-то радикальное изменить своей жизни часто этого бояться, бояться что никто их не поймет. А Фримен, выступая в роли популярного образа, через эту популярность говорит: ты не один хочешь. То что я говорю — называют банальностью. Ну так раз это банальность — нечего бояться, действуй! :)

The power of Freeman is that he is a mass product. People who want to make some radical change in their lives are often afraid that no one will understand them. And Freeman, a popular hero, sends this message: You are not the only one who wants [change]. The things that I say are considered banal. If they are banal – there is nothing to be afraid of, start acting!

Many bloggers doubt that Mr. Freeman has any effect on the society and say his importance, as well as his role in fostering online activism, is an illusion. The “Mr. Freeman” chapter at Lurkmore suggests [RUS]:

Фримен не предлагает ничего нового, не предлагает решение проблем, которые он критикует […] Создание образа таинственного гуру, еще не говорит о его смысловой нагрузке.

Freeman isn't offering anything new, he isn't offering solutions for the problems he criticizes […] To create an image of a mysterious guru doesn't necessarily mean it would make real sense.

Some users suggest that Mr. Freeman uses the same visual methods that he himself criticizes. A Vkontakte.ru-user dali writes:

Странно призывать людей к индивидуализму, кося всех под одну гребенку и пользуясь при этом чужими образами, старыми шутками и идейными штампами.

It is strange to call people to individualism, while treating them all as one and using other people's images, old jokes and ideological cliches.

Another Vkontakte.ru user, pitbull, argues [RUS]:

Крутой манипулятор. Вирус, которым очень удобно рулить стадо отупевшей общественности… Да, мечта кукловода!

[Mr. Freeman] is a great manipulator. A virus that helps to rule a herd of the dumbed-downed folks. Yes, a dream of a puppeteer!

Mr. Freeman: A freedom fighter or a dictator? Source: Mr. Freeman, Episode 1

Some users say that Mr. Freeman doesn't fight with but contributes to the modern hedonistic culture. S.Victoria writes [RUS]:

Когда его будут высмеивать и сравнивать с безмозглым стадом, он будет тупо пялится в этот мульт и думать почесываю свою давно не работающую голову, «что это? В чем смысл? …а да это просто кто-то решил поржать» и тоже будет сидеть и смеяться над собой и своей тупостью.

When [Mr. Freeman’s fan] is laughed at and compared to a brainless herd, he will continue watching the cartoon dumbly, thinking “what is it? what's the meaning of it? oh, yes… it’s just someone who decided to have fun” - and he will also sit and laugh at himself and his own foolishness.

Another question is, what are the real intentions of Mr. Freeman? The fact that it’s a highly professional project, probably requiring a significant budget, makes bloggers suspicious of the credibility of Mr. Freeman’s messages. Some users suggest that the only goal of the Mr. Freeman series is promotion of its anonymous creators. Other versions consider it a commercial or political campaign. Adme.ru user Darwin writes:

В итоге выяснится, что это реклама Данон или Единой России.

Eventually, we will discover that it was an ad campaign of Danone or United Russia.

Indeed, Mr. Freeman's message is very similar to the pro-Kremlin “Thankless bastards” campaign. At the same time, some experts suggest that most likely this is a campaign sponsored by the Russian opposition, whose goal is to make young people more proactive.

Despite the controversy and lack of agreement on Mr. Freeman's role in promoting youth activism, there is one effect of Mr. Freeman that is beyond debate. As Alomanik writes [RUS]:

Так интересно читать ваше коментари…кажется фримен добился чего хотел !!!!

It’s so interesting to read your comments… it appears that Freeman has achieved his goal!!!!

The fact that an unprecedented discussion is taking place is the major effect of Mr. Freeman's campaign.

The future of Mr. Freeman

Mr. Freeman continues to appear in new cartoons almost every month. The most probable number of the future series is 64. This version is supported by the numeration of series and the 25th frame with a 64-piece puzzle that is embedded in every new clip. Some of Mr. Freeman’s messages allegedly include hints that his strategic goal is the end of the famous Maya calendar on 21.12.2012, the date considered by some as the “end of the world day.”

Mr. Freeman himself doesn’t mention a specific date for the end of his project, but says in one of his interviews that he will continue to appear “until the general picture changes, and this won’t happen soon.” In another interview, Mr. Freeman says the date is well-known to many people, but he doesn’t want to mention it.

2012, however, is not only the “end of the world” year, but also the year of the Russian presidential election. One may ask if Mr. Freeman is a political time bomb and even play with an idea that the new hero of the Russian youth will run for president. Obviously, it's impossible. Not only because the Russian Constitution won’t allow it. But mainly because Mr. Freeman has no agenda – his mission is to deconstruct the current reality, not to offer any alternative solutions. But we shouldn't be surprised if Mr. Freeman exposes his political nature and plays a role in creating a different electoral climate among the Russian youth on the eve of the presidential election.

Will Mr. Freeman address the Russian nation on New Year

Mr. Freeman has far-going ambitions to make an impact beyond the virtual space. On May 31, 2010, for the first time in history, Mr. Freeman left the virtual space to present a new clip on the embankment of the Moscow River. It was considered by many as a message that online space is too small for the virtual hero.

Despite hundreds of comments following the newest episodes of Mr. Freeman, the interest to the enigmatic meme is gradually decreasing. Maksim Stativko writes at Mediaport:

Увы, человечку с овальной головой не стать ни народным героем, ни борцом против апокалипсиса. У него романтичная жизнь, но прозаичная судьба. Припомните пожалуйста, куда делась приставка «Денди»? А игрушка «Йо-Йо» с надписью «Coca-Cola»? Куда делось Тамагочи? Куда делся Влад Сташевский в конце концов? А никуда. Растворились в конъюнктуре и остались в головах, только как приятные воспоминания ушедшей эпохи

Alas, the small person with an oval head won’t be able to become the people’s hero or the fighter against the apocalypse. He has a romantic life, but a prosaic destiny. Try to recall what happened to the [“Dendy” video game]? What happened to Yo-Yo or [Tamagotchi]? Where did Vlad Stashevsky [a Russian pop singer] disappear? Nowhere. They vanished in the context and left only a nice memory about the epoch that ended.

Indeed, it looks like Mr. Freeman will need to work hard to maintain his popularity. But even if Mr. Freeman fails, his story offers an interesting question for political scientists: if country has a problem with real leaders (both in the government and the opposition), can they be replaced with virtual heroes?

By Ndesanjo Macha

A short lesson in Angolan music from Isacorreia: “Semba is a typical Angolan genre rooted in traditional carnival rhythms, such as kilapanga, rebita, kazukuta and kabetula…Kizomba is a new Afro style and semba is an old one.”

By Veronica Khokhlova

The Pickle Project writes about the post-Soviet ““nostalgia cuisine” and the Ukrainian Puzata Khata chain restaurant.