Global Voices Digest

Myanmar: Unprecedented cyclone disaster

Mong Palatino continues coverage on the Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar last weekend and devastated five regions. State-run media reported that more than 22,000 people are found dead with another 41,000 missing. The death toll could still rise. Residents and bloggers are condemning the slow relief work of the ruling Junta.

Korea: Chinese students fear for safety after torch relay violence

Following the violence in Seoul during the Olympic torch relay there last week, a lot of Chinese fenqing types are for the most part just seeing what they want to see in how their generation and China is now being perceived abroad, and not only on anti-CNN.com. John Kennedy explains why a lot of people in (and outside of) China, find that it sure is looking difficult to even be Chinese these days.

Bulgaria: Statehood in Crisis

Yavor Mihailov tells the saga of the Bulgarian blogosphere’s humorous, creative, and relentless campaign against the interior minister of the country, and how it helped lead to his resignation.

Macedonia: Sakura - Cherry Blossom Celebration in Skopje

Even though very few ethnic Japanese live in the Republic of Macedonia, many locals took part in the second annual celebration of Sakura - the festival of cherry blossoms in Macedonia’s capital, Skopje. Organizers of the festivals included some prominent bloggers who recently started a collaborative blog, Japan@mk, and initiated spreading the word through the Macedonian blogosphere.

On Somalis in the new Kenyan cabinet

What issues are dominating the Somali blogosphere? Abdurahman Warsame takes us on a tour from the new Kenyan cabinet and the Somali representation within it, to wedding ceremonies, to speaking out against generalizations about Muslims.

Zimbabwe: Using New Technologies to Fight for Democracy

In countries such as Zimbabwe where media freedom is extremely restricted, new technologies have become powerful tools for political campaigning, communication, advocacy and mobilisation. Since Robert Mugabe turned the country into a dictatorship, bloggers and civic organisations have resorted to using new tools and applications such as blogs, Flickr, Facebook, SMS, YouTube and mashups to fight for democracy, media freedom and good governance.

Guatemala: Remembering Bishop Gerardi and His Report “Never Again!”

Ten years ago, Bishop Juan Gerardi released a report called “Guatemala, Never Again!,” which contained powerful testimonies of those forever affected by the armed conflict in Guatemala. The report provided graphic details and specific names of those who committed these crimes, and as a result, ultimately cost Bishop Gerardi his life. He was killed approximately 50 hours after the release of the report. A decade later, Guatemalan bloggers remember the man who brought much of what was happening in the war into the public consciousness.

Russia: “The March, Sort Of”

The Russian opposition was to hold a protest rally on May 6 in Moscow, on the eve of Dmitry Medvedev’s inauguration as president Vladimir Putin’s replacement, but city officials refused to allow it - and leaders of the oppositional coalition ended up canceling the Dissenters’ March at the last minute. Dozens of protesters were detained by police anyway, as Veronica Khokhlova explains.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find twitter jokes from Zimbabwe, Turkish schools in Pakistan, buying computers in Cuba, and much much more!