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August 25, 2006
In China, the price of activism remains high
A sad and disturbing read in the Globe and Mail today. Legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, was sentenced to a four+ year sentence for "willfully damaging property and organizing a mob to disturb traffic." Human rights groups have condemned the ruling and argue the charges are in retaliation for Guangcheng's actions in exposing the government's illegal population control tactics on the poor.
The sad part is that the government admits its wrong-doing but it clearly wants to make the point that it will be the only one to air its dirty laundry. I only hope Guangcheng's family is able to win an appeal, though I seriously doubt it.
Posted by Jason at 9:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 23, 2006
Fresh Blog: My Life in Africa Reports
Found an interesting blog today. My Life in Africa Reports shares stories of Ugandan's taking part in a community called Life in Africa. Here's a quote from the blog:
Life in Africa (LiA) is a grassroots membership community of people from all walks of life in Uganda who are building a member owned and operated social purpose enterprise. We produce social-awareness raising craft products and develop member services that connect our communities to global resources for local and family level change. LiA's success is driven by a Webbed Empowerment (WE) strategy that guides our online and offline activities at WE Centers in Kampala and Gulu.
Blog entries range from the mundane to inspirational. What I like about this blog is its refreshing portrayal of Ugandan life. I'm so tired of the stereotypical 'dazed African looking into a camera' as is dominant in mainstream media. Instead, we read real stories of real people struggling and finding creative solutions to improve their lives. Definitely worth a visit.
Posted by Jason at 8:58 AM
August 20, 2006
Back in the saddle
After a six month layoff, AKA Activist is back online!
Looking forward to making this blog bigger and better than ever.
I'm looking to add more audience participation, so please send along any stories you stumble upon or ideas you want to share.
Thanks for everyone's patience.
Posted by Jason at 4:21 PM