#Global Voices

[ferdifz]

The pro-democracy movement in Myanmar continues to challenge the junta which grabbed power in a coup in February 2021. The opposition government, ethnic armed groups, urban activists, and exiled media are all demanding the end of the military dictatorship, restoring civilian leadership, and reviving the nation’s transition to democratic rule. Despite the mass arrests and violence, opposition against the junta continues to garner public support as seen in the coordinated “silent strike” across the country. Activists either joined the armed resistance in rural communities or sustained the opposition in urban centers. Through the help of a solidarity network, Global Voices interviewed the Yangon Revolution Force (YRF) and the Artists Collective about the status and prospect of the urban struggle against the junta.

[vengoai]

Empowering global voices, Gertrude Matshe inspires and connects authentically with her audience through Vengo AI, blending technology with her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Read more: https://t.ly/SYwaY

[drsonnet]

Youssef Nabil, Your Life Was Just A Dream, 2019. Hand-colored gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels

The power of ‘personal experience’: An interview with Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil · Global Voices

[birdy-babe]

I know this is so crazy obvious but I just LOVE comparing the pilot to the newest episodes… the designs… the improvements.. the changes

Mostly with blitz

BUT ESPECIALLY WITH STOLAS

This bird and his dramatic draping himself upon couches

[saywhat-politics]

President Donald Trump is gutting U.S.-backed global media, including Voice of America, that broadcasts news to millions worldwide — and that he has long held a grudge against.

The move comes after Trump signed an executive order to hollow out a string of small government agencies and offices late Friday. The order calls for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and a collection of other media outlets globally, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

[theogmrpandabear]

“Honestly there’s no point in voting”

Buddy, Pal, Amigo-

Like it or not we are all on a bus headed to go right off a cliff, and voting is the only way to avoid careening off the edge, by either stopping the bus, or slowing it down long enough to find a solution.

Some people will knowingly vote to drive off the cliff. :/

If you, and every other person with your mindset, think it’s ok to abstain from voting it’s the same as voting to go off the cliff and die , because like it or not, the people wanting to drive off the cliff will vote to do so.

Don’t let other people tell you voting doesn’t work or change things, it. does.

We have been so conditioned by false media and propaganda to normalize cynicism in politics that we have come to believe that our choices don’t matter, that our voices shouldn’t be heard, that we should be ok with all the wrong things in our society, and anything or anyone saying otherwise is villainized and stigmatized

And maybe you might have a point in your cynicism, it might really all just be that bad….

but the fact is- would you rather at least TRY and stop the bad things from happening by voting, for your future, for the future of your family and friends, for the sake of being able to say “I Tried.”

Or would you rather just sit back and let the bad things happen because “there’s no point?”

(Don’t forget the big election isn’t the only one that counts, the small elections matter too)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Folkenflik at NPR:

Journalists showed up at the Voice of America today to broadcast their programs only to be told they had been locked out: Federal officials had embarked on indefinite mass suspensions. All full-time staffers at the Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio and Television Martí, were affected — more than 1,000 employees. The move followed a late Friday night edict from President Trump that its parent agency, called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, must eliminate all activities that are not required by law. In addition, under the leadership of Trump appointees, the agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. The termination notices for grants for the funded networks, two of which were reviewed by NPR, carried the signature of Trump's senior adviser Kari Lake, whom he placed at USAGM, not the agency's acting chief executive. Lake does not appear in her current job to have the statutory authority to carry out that termination. "I am deeply saddened that for the 1st time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced," the network's director, Michael Abramowitz, said in a statement posted on his personal Facebook account. "VOA needs thoughtful reform and we have made progress in that regard. But today's action will leave Voice of America unable to carry out its vital mission." He wrote that he was among those 1,300 journalists, producers and support staff put on leave. Grant Turner, the former chief financial officer at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, called it "Bloody Saturday" for the agency and its networks.

'Arsonists just set fire to it'

"From what I hear, this is shaping up to be a really sad day. USAGM networks share important news, information and American values around the world," Turner said. "It took decades to build this goodwill and an audience of hundreds of millions every week. Seeing arsonists just set fire to it all is awful." "The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's grant agreement would be a massive gift to America's enemies," Steve Capus, the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said in a statement today shared with NPR. "The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker. We've benefitted from strong bipartisan support throughout RFE/RL's storied history. Without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies who depend on us for accurate news and information each week won't have access to the truth about America and the world." Voice of America Director Michael Abramowitz declined to comment but acknowledged he had been among those put on indefinite paid leave. This story is based on interviews with 16 current and former employees of the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the networks it funds. Almost all spoke on condition they not be named due to fear of professional retribution. NPR has reviewed internal notifications about the suspensions and the killed contracts. Similar notices reviewed by NPR have been received by hundreds of contractors at the Voice of America as well today. USAGM and the White House did not reply to requests for comment. A deputy White House spokesperson tweeted "Goodbye" in 20 languages over a link to a story from 2023 over a controversy at the Voice of America about how to characterize Hamas. Taken together, the federally-funded broadcasters and their sister networks covering the Middle East and Cuba reach 420 million people in 63 languages and more than 100 countries each week, according to the agency. They are fully funded by federal dollars. The networks' mission is to deliver news coverage and cultural programming to places where a free press is threatened or doesn't exist. They are also designed as a form of soft diplomacy, modeling independent journalism that incorporates dissent from government policy.

Trump's friends in Moscow and Budapest aggrieved by network coverage

The Voice of America sparked Trump's ire in his first term in office over reporting on Covid-19. His appointee as chief executive for U.S. Agency for Global Media embarked on a series of suspensions, visa revocations and investigations that were found, in some instances, to violate the law and federal policy. This time, Trump's budget-slashing adviser, Elon Musk, and other administration officials have called for Voice of America and some of the sister networks to be shut down. The scope and legality of these acts are not yet in full focus, but they appear to be designed to gut them and place whatever coverage survives under tighter control of politically appointed officials. Trump placed Lake, a two-time unsuccessful MAGA candidate, as his senior adviser over USAGM. She did not reply to a detailed request for comment for this story. USAGM's media relations team has not replied to NPR's repeated and detailed requests for comment about developments at the networks in recent days, including today. Trump's pick to lead the agency permanently, the conservative media critic L. Brent Bozell III, has not yet been scheduled for confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate.

Free press-hating Orange Führer’s regime orders mass cullings of journalists working at US Agency For Global Media-owned outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.

See Also:

The Guardian: Trump sharpens attacks on US media as Voice of America employees put on administrative leave

[nothingelsetobe]

Israeli forces target Palestinian fishermen in Gaza who are trying to fi...

Please watch this!

[crazycatsiren]

"Having this illness destroyed my life" and "it's taught me things that I'm never giving back" can in fact coexist.

[bossymarmalade]

Jenissa Sullivan (ancestral_memory)

Trinidad & Tobago's Carnival has always embodied creative resistance and radical joy as protest, since the first days our African ancestors used masquerade as social critique and as an expression of resilience. • So, we stand in solidarity with all oppressed people of the global South!

[sunshineandlyrics]

It really is Written All Over Your Face 💪🏼💔😩

[cheriafreya]

I need this character so bad wtf

[akuma-tenshi]

i made this last night but my computer was having issues so bad that i had to turn it off immediately after or risk permanently damaging it. so here it is after i wake up instead. i sadly wasn't here for this event since i was taking a break from the game during it, and i'm kinda sad about that because it honestly seems really interesting. it probably has one of my favourite aesthetics of any anniv event tbh

song is freaks of nature by stardustlegend and arcarine w/ lucy

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lydia O'Connor at HuffPost:

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order shuttering the agency that oversees Voice of America ― a government-funded, anti-propaganda, international media outlet that’s been in operation since World War II. The order Trump signed Friday calls for the closure of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which manages VOA and other diplomatic news efforts. More than 1,300 of VOA’s journalists and other staffers were placed on administrative leave Saturday, according to a Facebook post from VOA Director Michael Abramowitz obtained by The Washington Post. Kari Lake, the Agency for Global Media’s special adviser who once called for the imprisonment of journalists, cheered its demise on social media, saying: “There’s a reason it’s referred to as ‘pound-for-pound the most corrupt agency in Washington DC.’ Because it is!” A press release from the agency was even harsher, calling it “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer — a national security risk for this nation — and irretrievably broken.” The Associated Press wire service shared Friday that the agency terminated its contracts with them, and Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Since 1942, VOA has shared news globally from the American perspective and sought to fight propaganda through the broadcasting of uncensored information to people around the world living under oppressive regimes. On its website, VOA touts itself as “the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in nearly 50 languages to an estimated weekly audience of more than 354 million people,” and emphasizes that its reporting will always be “accurate, objective, and comprehensive.”

Satan-possessed anti-American free press-destroying tyrant Donald Trump signs national security-jeopardizing executive order that closes down Voice of America, a respected outlet that provided valuable news to those in authoritarian regimes lacking vital press freedoms.

See Also:

Steady (Dan Rather): The Truth Dies with Him

Living It (Olivia Troye): Silenced.

[mobiused]

as an african, i hate when western leftists dismiss criticism of the BRI, CDB, etc and the increasing presence of BRICS, particularly China, in african nations. and yes the idea that ‘africans are too stupid to anticipate the consequences of these deals,’ is 100% racist but also the idea that, somehow, by just being african, our leaders are virtuous and so are our governments and all the systems set up is also racist just in the opposite direction. westerners completely understand that their governments do not always have the people’s best interests at heart, in fact most times they do not, but for some reason cannot fathom the same for african governments. i am not at all a fan of the narrative that africa is corrupt - at least not in any way more than the average western nation. with that in mind though, if the average western nation can neglect its citizens and sign deals of no material benefit to the people, why can’t western leftists fathom the same for african nations? in real time, we are seeing the negative effects of these deals being made manifest and western leftists still tell us constantly we should accept Chinese imperialism. and yes, i’m calling it something that audacious because that is what it is. to BRICS, africa is just plunder for resources in the name of ‘anti-western anti-imperialism.’ no camp, neither the western camp nor BRICS view africa as more than just a region to advance their political agendas - that’s why these deals do more harm than good in the long run because BRICS make these deals under the guise of expected allyship, not the development of african nations in the best way that suits these nations and the region at large. it is 2024 and there is nothing remotely similar to the EU, ASEAN, etc in africa set to advance the region and its nations. why? because imperial powers include clauses in these deals that ensure africa as a region remains divided and conquered. the world at large does not even consider the advancement of africa as a possibility and do everything in their power to ensure it remains that way.

i’m saying all this to say i don’t think you reblogged that post with bad intentions or out of ignorance, i just think your views on this topic are largely influenced by where you live (outside of africa). i just want to ask you actually listen to africans in africa on this topic because everybody seems to be dictating this conversation and telling us how we should feel, without even consulting our reality even once.

No you're 100% justified in say this though I'm not the best person to ask. Studying African Marxists isn't enough to qualify me on the topic so I definitely try my best to listen to a variety of African opinions, despite my persuasion. African leaders are obviously not naturally virtuous by virtue of being African. I'm not sure I agree with calling it imperialism but I do think Chinese activity isn't inherently unworthy of criticism. I think that post was more for challenging the lacking-nuanced racist beliefs of other westerners rather than a discussion thay would include Africans themselves, which comes with its own set of problems. That being said, this is clearly something you're knowledgeable about and the effort you put into this ask is frankly more thought than I've put into the subject as a whole recently so I appreciate you coming to me to share your POV.

[nothingelsetobe]

Palestinian girl breaks down over missing bread and everything else

Please watch this and reblog.