Global Voices Podcast

Originally published on Global Voices

This week, we take you to Azerbaijan, Chile, Philippines, Poland and China.

First, we head to Poland where the period got political, after the country's female prime minister supported a bill proposing a complete ban on abortion. Soon, a Facebook event called “A Heavy Period for the Government” went up encouraging women to post detailed descriptions of their periods on the prime minister's official Facebook page. Our contributor Anna Gotowska brought us the story. 

Then we head to Chile, where our contributor Shirley Campbell told us how Afro-Chileans in the country are fighting for recognition on the census. On to Nagorno Karabakh, which is smoldering after clashes erupted between Azeri and Armenian forces on April 2. This story was reported by our contributor Winston Obertan.

Our southeast Asia editor Mong Palatino introduced us to Gregorio Y. Zara, an engineer from the Philippines. Zara was the inventor of a two-way television telephone, also known as a videophone.

We end the episode with an interview with Oiwan Lam, our northeast Asia editor, about the Panama Papers. Last week's leaks exposed how the world’s elite take advantage of tax havens — sometimes illegally. The story has been making headlines around the world — except in China — where web censors have been working overtime to make sure Chinese know little to nothing about the leaks.

In this episode of the Week that Was at Global Voices, we featured Creative Commons licensed music from the Free Music Archive, including Please Listen Carefully by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0); Halbi Gijh by Thiaz Itch (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0); Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To by Chris Zabriskie (CC BY 4.0); Can I Talk To You by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0); and At the Lab We Work and Play by Good Old Neon (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Listeners also heard Cumbia Bichera by El Remolón, used with music label Pueblo Nuevo‘s permission.

The Week That Was podcast is hosted by Global Voices News Editor Lauren Finch and me — Managing Editor at Global Voices. Expect to hear our voices again in two weeks.

Originally published on Global Voices

In this edition we take you to Somalia, Japan, China, Pakistan and Cuba.

First up, we tell you a story about a lone elephant Morgan who trekked 137 miles from Kenya and how that might be a sign of hope for war-torn Somalia.

Next we bring you a story brought to us by our Japan editor Nevin Thompson about a project mapping the last movements of victims of the 2011 Tsunami. After that we move on to Pakistan, where we talk about a happy ending to a five-year-long story of kidnapping, separation and uncertainty.

In China, we tell you about Internet users having nothing but sarcasm for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, after he uploaded a photo — to his Facebook account– jogging past Beijing's Forbidden City. Our Northeast Asia editor Oiwan Lam brought our attention to this story.

We end the episode with an interview with Ellery Roberts Biddle, director of our Advocacy project, about US President Obama's visit to Cuba last week. It was the first visit by a sitting US president since 1928.

In this episode of the Week that Was at Global Voices, we featured Creative Commons licensed music from the Free Music Archive, including Please Listen Carefully by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0); Mexico by Jimmy Pe (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0); Elephant Walk by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0); Skeptic by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0); Falcon Hood (Tight) by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0); and De Cuba by SONGO 21 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).

The Week That Was podcast is hosted by Global Voices News Editor Lauren Finch and me — Managing Editor at Global Voices. Expect to hear our voices again in two weeks.

Image used in Soundcloud thumbnail: Elephant by Flick user Pauline Guilmot. Taken on June 15, 2014. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Originally published on Global Voices

After a three year break, the Global Voices Podcast is finally back. We are calling the reincarnated version, “The Week That Was at Global Voices.”

In this edition, Global Voices News Editor Lauren Finch and I — Managing Editor at Global Voices– take you to Mexico, China, Tajikistan, Macedonia and Russia.

In Mexico, we tell you a story about Arne Aus den Ruthen, a Mexican public servant, who uses Periscope to expose lawbreakers, in a story brought to us by Global Voices author J.Tadeo.

Next we tell you about our censorship story of the week from China, which our Northeast Asia editor Oiwan Lam alerted us to. Later we take you to Tajikistan, then Macedonia and have a conversation with our RuNet Echo editor Kevin Rothrock about a new film that snubs Harry Potter while showcasing Russia's paranoid patriotism.

We are thrilled about bringing the Global Voices Podcast back.  Many thanks to our authors, translators and editors who helped make this episode possible.

In this episode of the Week that Was at Global Voices, we featured Creative Commons licensed music from the Free Music Archive, including Please Listen Carefully by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0); Mexico by Jimmy Pe (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0); Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie (CC BY 4.0); Rainbow Street by Scott Holmes (CC BY-NC 4.0); and A Russian Circus Story by The Freak Fandango Orchestra (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Expect to hear our voices again in two weeks.

Originally published on Global Voices

This post is part of our series on Latin America: Migrant Journeys in collaboration with The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). Stay tuned for more articles and podcasts.

What does the U.S. immigration reform legislation means for migrant communities? We talk to Global Voices contributor Robert Valencia and NACLA writer Joseph Nevins. On June 24 the U.S. Senate passed an immigration bill with a vote of 67-27. The bill seeks to create a roadmap for citizenship while strengthening border security. It also raises the cap on visas for high-skilled workers and intends to establish a new visa program for low-skilled workers.

Immigration Reform Rally 2010, Washington DC. Photo by Anuska Sampedro on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

While many pro-immigration advocates have celebrated the legislation, some fear that the emphasis on border security eclipses the gains. The Senate bill provides for the hiring of almost 19,000 new Border Patrol agents, the building of 700 additional miles of walls, and an investment of billions of dollars in surveillance technologies.

The fate of the current immigration reform now depends on the U.S. House of Representatives. But the most likely scenario involves the house passing separate bills that will eventually be packaged in a House-Senate committee. Interest groups are expected to lobby congress after they return from their August recess.

Originally published on Global Voices

Hello, World – welcome to a special edition of the Global Voices Podcast.

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 the college of cardinals assembled at the Vatican to elect the new head of the Roman Catholic church, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28. On Wednesday evening the Cardinal Protodeacon emerged onto the central balcony as St. Peter's Basilica and uttered the words “Habemus Papam!” (“We Have a Pope!”), and presented Pope Francis.

With two African cardinals considered at one point to be potential successors to Pope Benedict XVI, we spoke with Steve Sharra and Abdoulaye Bah from our Africa team about the possibility of an African pope, the continent's expectations of the next pope, and why cardinals at this week's papal conclave might have played games like volleyball.

Global Voices has a cardinal! Author Abdoulaye Bah with director Nanni Moretti on the set of the film “We Have a Pope”

Did you like the public domain Gregorian chants featured in the podcast? Get yours from Partners in Rhyme.

Thanks to Laura Morris for her support in producing this show!

Originally published on Global Voices

Welcome to the Global Voices Podcast. In this edition you'll hear more from the the Global Voices Summit which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, back in July.

The Summit is a meeting of minds, friends, new acquaintances and public participation. Many of our authors, editors and content gatherers only get to meet in person once every two years, when the Summit takes place. You can find out more about the Summit by checking the Twitter hashtag #GV2012 and by taking a look at the dedicated Summit pages.

As well as being a gathering for the public, Global Voices authors and editors to all meet and discuss their ideas, selected academics from around the world were also invited to share their knowledge and learn from the community.

Ivan Sigal is the executive director of Global Voices and he describes why it was important for the academic group to join in at the event.

There were many sessions discussing processes and methods of highlighting under-represented voices and making the most of citizen media tools that are the everyday methods of the Global Voices community. We also asked a selection of academics about their thoughts and experiences of the Summit to find out what they learned and what knowledge they might return to their work with.

Origins and futures

Of course Global Voices sprang from academia and also present at the Summit was Rebecca MacKinnon, the co-founder of the organisation, who is also an author as well as a senior fellow at the New America Foundation think tank where she works on Internet policy issues. We caught up with her to talk about the future of the Internet and what it means for freedom of communication.

Global Voices would be nothing without its contributors. So to round up our coverage of the Summit for the podcast, enjoy some closing thoughts and experiences from the authors, translators and editors who create this extraordinary source of news and information.

The Global Voices 2012 Summit location.

Thank you to all of our podcast contributors, the Summit event organisers and to you for listening.

The Global Voices Podcast. The world is talking. I hope you've been listening.

Music credits

In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. Thanks to Mark Cotton  for his fantastic creations and thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together.

Originally published on Global Voices

Hello World and jambo from Kenya!

Welcome to the Global Voices podcast. What is the future of online citizen media? In this edition (and the next) you will hear from editors, authors, co-founders and other participants at the 2012 Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Nairobi to discuss the future of how we all work together online.

The Global Voices Summit takes place every two years and there are many topics on the agenda, possibly too many to fit into one podcast but certainly a lot of food for thought right here.

First, let's go way back, a long time in internet years and consider the origins of that thing we call Global Voices. Co-founder Ethan Zuckerman explains how Global Voices came to be, what happens at the Summits, and what he thinks the future holds.

The #GV2012 Summit is a place to meet and find out more about our authors, editors and contributors who travelled from all corners of the world. Everyone was excited, but one of the most thrilled participants was Elaine Díaz from Havana, Cuba. Here she explains a little more about citizens online in Cuba.

It wouldn’t be a Global Voices gathering without smart and vocal people from around the world. Andrea Arzaba is a journalist in Mexico and she collected some observations of the event, starting with her own reflections.

Daudi Were is a Kenyan blogger who writes on Mentalacrobatics. He was also the very entertaining MC during the public Summit meeting attended by 300 people. He explained his connection with Global Voices and how Kenyan technology continues to innovate, particularly in the area of mobile.

A group photo from the Global Voices Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

The impact of citizen media

Through Global Voices, many people who are sometimes overlooked are able to have their views and reports amplified.

Leila Nashawati Rego is a Spanish and Syrian human rights activist. She teaches communications at Carlos the Third University in Spain as well as write for a number of respected outlets. We discussed the growth of online citizen media and the results of that expansion.

So long, but not goodbye

Some bitter-sweet news came out of the Global Voices Summit too. Sami Ben Gharbia from Tunisia told us that he is stepping down from the position of Director of Global Voices Advocacy. So, naturally it was time to take a look at the work that he has done and find out what he will be up to next.

As ever, thanks to all of our contributors, producers and music makers who help to make this happen. You can find out more about the summit by checking the Twitter hashtag #GV2012 and by taking a look at the dedicated Summit pages.

The Global Voices Podcast. The world is talking, I hope you’ve been listening.

Music credits

Originally published on Global Voices

Hello World!

Welcome to another edition of the Global Voices podcast.

In this edition, we’re talking about literature and publishing. You’ll hear some good old fashioned interviews with well-read members of the Global Voices team as well as readings of original work by our authors and the wider community.

Storytime

There’s some lovely stories to be told, so if you are sitting comfortably, Let's begin…

Our first reading comes from Greece. Veroniki Krikoni is a Greek translator for Global Voices online. Her story summons up visions of the sea and the heavens. Tune in to hear her reading in Greek and English about ‘The Agreement of the Stars’.

Our second reading comes from Nwachukwu Egbunike in Nigeria. He told us that he likes to write poetry because it is a format where a lot can be said in a few words.

The inspiration for the poem is a friend of his who sends manuscripts for him to read. Early on in their friendship, the author was afraid that he might take his work and publish it. The writer pointed out that their friendship is based on trust.

Nwachuykwu says, “I don’t know if he has seen the poem. I posted it on my blog. We are good friends now.” So, for the podcast he is reciting his poem, ‘Can I trust you?’

Get excited for Global Voices e-books!

The publishing industry has seen seismic change as digital methods disrupt the traditional market. But digital publishing also creates opportunities and new ways of presenting the written word.

Bernardo Parrella is a translator, writer and is also the Editor of Global Voices in Italian. He is now working on ways to publish Global Voices online material in new ways to make the most of the content.

Global Voices Books is a collaborative project which will provide a selection of rounded summaries for our material.

Translating stories in threatened languages

Language and translation are key elements of Global Voices and supporting under represented languages is particularly important.

Eddie Avila is the Rising Voices Director for Global Voices online, he supports many efforts to highlight languages that we might not otherwise hear online. For the podcast he worked with and read translations of two people who write in threatened languages.

First is Elias Quispe Chura, a language activist and Global Voices Aymara translator in Bolivia. His poem reflects his desire to hear younger Aymara speakers embrace their language. He is encouraging them to speak in Spanish and learn to write in Aymara.

The second work shared by Eddie was made with Irma Alvarez Ccossco coordinator of the Rising Voices project in Peru. She now lives in Lima and says that the poem was inspired by the Baguazo, in Bagua, Peru. This was a time of persecution of the indigenous Mapuche people, and feelings of helplessness are the context for the poem.

Irma says, “These words were my way of helping to find calm, as if all those people could speak in Quechua, or simply to calm myself.”

Russian academic literature podcast

Not only do we have great writers with global voices, we also have great editors. One of our newest editors is Kevin Rothrock who is the editor of Runet Echo. This is a special research project of Global Voices investigating the Russian language Internet.

Kevin is the co-host of a podcast called New Books in Russian Studies that discusses academic literature about Russia with their authors.

More tales and poetry

Danica Radovanovic lives in Europe and comes from a literary and muscial family. So it’s no wonder she also writes beautifully. She's a social media researcher, internet scholar, editor in chief for Australian Science magazine and is about to defend her dissertation in Communication and Internet studies.

Danica says the story she reads for us is an expression of herself at a particular time when she was inspired by events happening inside and outside of herself.

In seeking feedback on the work, Danica says she showed it to a number of women who found a piece of themselves in this story. Let us know in the comments if you recognise yourself in her reading of “You should date a woman who writes”.

In our final readings for this edition we have Njeri Wangari, a Kenyan performance poet, writer and arts blogger. She runs a blog called Kenyan Poet and has been writing poetry for years as well as performing her poems. She kindly reads two poems from her collection entitled, “Minds and minefields, my spoken words”.

Well, that’s all we have time for in this edition of the podcast. Thank you to everyone who took part with their readings, writing, translation and interviews.

The Global Voices podcast, the world is talking, I hope you’ve been listening.

Music credits

In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. Thanks to Mark Cotton for his fantastic creations and thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together.