Global Voices Online
In the Middle East, words escape prison walls to inspire freedom and hope
This post was written by Khalid Ibrahim, executive director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in the MENA region. Human rights defenders have nothing but words to defend the civil and human rights of their people. Their enemies,… »
During the Cold War, Latin American intellectuals found solace in communist Prague
Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Amado, and Pablo Neruda were among the illustrious visitors Before COVID-19, Prague was visited every year by millions of tourists looking for cheap beer and spectacular architecture. In the 1950s, on the other hand, the capital of then-Czechoslovakia attracted a very different crowd of travelers: Leftist intellectuals from… »
After back-to-back typhoons, Filipinos criticize President Duterte’s absence from public eye
A hashtag calling for Duterte’s ouster also trended on Twitter #NasaanAngPangulo (‘Where is the President?’) began trending on Twitter as Filipinos criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s absence from the public eye and a lack of government relief efforts following two successive typhoons which hit the Philippines starting on November 1. Typhoon… »
Moldovans elect their first female president
Maia Sandu beat Igor Dodon in Sunday’s runoff vote Maia Sandu is set to become Moldova’s first female president after winning a landslide victory in Sunday’s election. According to preliminary figures from Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Sandu took 57.7 percent of the vote compared to 42.3 percent for… »
Spain’s official linguistic institution steps back from gender-neutral pronoun
The institution added and removed the pronoun from new portal The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), a cultural institution dedicated to the linguistic regulation of the Spanish-speaking world, inaugurated the “Observatory of Words” portal on October 27. The portal is a provisional collection of terms and expressions that do not… »
Mexican lawmakers approve same-sex marriage in the State of Puebla
The live congressional video had nearly 20K views On November 3, Puebla became the 19th Mexican state to recognize same-sex marriage in the country. 31 congresspeople out of 39 raised their hand to pass the legislation under the gaze of nearly 20,000 viewers on Facebook Live and Periscope. The meeting… »
After three months of anti-government protests in Bulgaria, what’s at stake?
The evenings in Sofia’s Independence Square have been noisier than usual this summer. Crowds have been gathering at this spot in front of the parliament since early July. “Ostavka,” they chant; it means “resignation” in Bulgarian. What started as outrage at a prominent politician who treated a public beach as… »
Facebook to include Holocaust denial in its definition of banned hate speech
Written by Metamorphosis Foundation Decision to change is based on increase of racist violence worldwide This story was originally published by Meta.mk. An edited version is republished here via a content-sharing agreement between Global Voices and Metamorphosis Foundation. Facebook is changing its rules to include Holocaust… »
Argentines campaign for laws protecting the environment on Twitter
Wildfires have been raging in central and northern Argentina for months where more than 400,000 hectares (988,422 acres), comparable in size to more than 560,000 soccer fields, have burned to date. According to the latest data from the National Fire Management Service, thirteen of Argentina’s twenty-three provinces are affected, with a consequential loss… »
The Mexican indigenous artists who are defying labels and stereotypes
We are sharing our visual libraries to inspire future generations of illustrators My name is Isela Xospa and I am a freelance illustrator and editor. The graphic design project that I am developing is the result of a personal journey to find ways of asserting my indigenous identity in a… »