censorship

Video: Colombian rock star Juanes's outburst against Cuban concert censorship

Team Observers — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:17:18 +0200

The Colombian rock star Juanes gave a much anticipated concert for peace in Havana, the Cuban capital, along with 14 other Hispanic artists on September 20. But the concert was nearly cancelled when the singer realised his every move was being spied on by Cuban authorities. A cell-phone video captured Juanes exploding before the Cuban concert producers hours before the show.

In an intensely emotional breakout in the lobby of the hotel where the artists were staying, Juanes and the Spanish singer Miguel Bosé denounced the behaviour of Cuban authorities after discovering several "preventive" measures taken to avoid any controversial incident during the concert (see Observer Ernesto Hernandez Busto's detailed explanation below).

After they repeatedly threatened to cancel the show, the Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañón, and a member of Cuban rap group Los Orisha, intervened to calm them down and convince them to perform.

The video was leaked by an exiled Cuban radio journalist, Leticia del Monte, who filmed the outburst on her iPhone. She later gave her interpretation of events in a TV interview. "Juanes paid a high emotional price for singing in Havana. For the first time, the reality of the oppression and fear that 11 million Cubans experience every year hit him in the face," she said.

Putin's not a fan of punk rock

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:43:44 +0200

With lyrics like "Just don't listen to him; a pig will always find mud to roll in", it's no surprise that punk band PTVP can't be found on Russian TV. But one of our pro-Kremlin Observers tells us it's got nothing to do with politics.

Punk has been more or less entirely removed from the Russian media since Vladimir Putin's first term as president in 2000. Last month we were made aware that some of the music fans had even been added to the government's extremist list and supporters of punk groups were being placed under police surveillance. The lengthy crackdown pushed some groups to go mainstream. But one band which did not succumb to the censorship, is PTVP, or "The Last Tanks in Paris". After AFP published a story about the band on Monday, the Western media fell in love with PTVP, being particularly taken with the idea of calling Putin a pig.

The song in which Putin is referred to as such is called FSB Whore (referring to the Federal Security Service, successor to the KGB). The lyrics are short and to the point:

He always lies to you

Just don't listen to him

Putin-Putin-Putin

A pig will always find mud to roll in

The group also sings in more details about Putin in their take on the Sex Pistols legendary hit God Save the Queen. In the following video they're performing "God Save Putin" at the Tabula Rasa rock club in Moscow, November 2007. Before he starts singing, front man Alexei Nikonov recites a little rhyme about Putin being like a rat.

Concealing satellite dishes in China

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:52:35 +0200

Satellite dishes are banned in China in order to prevent Chinese people from watching foreign TV channels. Not that it stops them.

Digital set-top boxes are available and gaining some popularity in China, but unlike their satellite rivals, they don't allow access to channels unauthorised by the government. The only way to watch foreign channels is to get a satellite.

But the dishes are banned by the government, except in exceptional circumstances: for research purposes, for the army and in luxury hotels, for example.

Many Chinese people, however, want to receive foreign channels. The majority of them are more interested in MTV than CNN, or in renting out their apartments to expats in the country.

It's not terribly difficult to get hold of a satellite dish. Most sites that market the goods are banned in China, but not all.

The main problem is keeping the satellite dish hidden. If your dish is discovered by the authorities, the firemen will be sent round to destroy it — as illustrated below.

Source: Zonaeuropa

The best thing to do is either hide the dish — or disguise it.

Source: Zonaeuropa

Photos posted here.

Jewish comedian cancels Lebanon shows following Hezbollah bullying

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:04:16 +0200

Moroccan-French comedian Gad Elmaleh has been forced to cancel his performances at the Lebanese Beiteddine festival following a fierce propaganda campaign against him driven by Hezbollah.

The photomontage above, which includes a picture of the artist, a photo of an Israeli soldier, and an image of Lebanon under attack, is how the Shiite TV channel al Manar portrayed Gad Elmaleh. The channel claimed that the photograph of the Israeli soldier, which does bear something of a resemblance, was that of the artist at hand, leading viewers to believe that the Moroccan-born French citizen at some point served in the IDF. The photograph, along with several others, had been originally published on a pro-Israel website some 12 years ago. FRANCE 24 contacted the website, which explained that as an organisation which supports ASBI-Keren soldiers, the photographs, each accompanied by a comment from a celebrity, were sold in order to raise funds for social work projects. The picture in question however, was certainly not that of Gad Elmaleh.

Despite being hugely popular in Lebanon (tickets for the shows sold like hot cakes and he was even solicited into performing an extra show), Elmaleh announced on Saturday that he would not be able to perform at July's Beiteddine festival "in light of various protests and calls for boycott". The announcement has raised concerns with some ministers and ire from the public. An online movement based on Facebook vows to fight what they call "the terrorism of culture" by Hezbollah.

Direct from Tehran, despite the crackdown

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:40:21 +0200

The Iranian authorities are trying very hard to control information about the post-election protests. Hani, one of our reformist Observers in Tehran, however, has managed to send us this webcam video, explaining how they are going about it.

We didn't want to rebel, but we want freedom, democracy and equality. We can't use the internet to get the news, all websites have been filtered and mobiles are jammed. FriendFeed, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and all social networks are also filtered. All the news agencies are also filtered and some newspapers have closed.

[The authorities] have lowered internet speed to such a low rate that we cannot follow the news with it. Our state media is also cooperating with the government — they don't show any news at all. All these things signify what we're going through right now.”

Spot the difference, Saudi style

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:32:33 +0200

Images of bare female flesh are banned in Saudi Arabia. There's no efficient system in place for removing the offensive material, however, which means that somebody has the painstaking job of colouring all those arms, legs, midriffs and cleavages that appear on the covers of Western magazines and imported products. The latest cover-up victim: American singer Katy Perry.

Facebook ban lifted: “the only place where we can talk about politics”

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:44:32 +0200

Image sent to us by "Behanm".

No wonder the authorities wanted Facebook banned. But Iranian Facebook users are heaving a sigh of relief today after access to the site was reopened on Tusday morning. So what was all the fuss about? One of our Observers in Tehran explains the election debates raging on the online social network and why President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad probably isn't a big fan.

Although Ahmadinejad denies having ordered the shutdown, the reformist-leaning Iranian news agency Ilna, whose site was inaccessible at the time of publication, said that government representatives orchestrated the censorship.

Iran, which has a population of more 70 million, has a strong online community with around 21 million Internet users. Pro-reform candidates for June's presidential election are seen as following in Barack Obama's footsteps by using the Internet as much as possible in campaigning.

And it seems to be working. Many Iranians Web users see the recent ban as a direct attempt at closing down one of reformist candidate Mirhossein Mousavi's platforms. While Mousavi has more than 8,000 supporters on his Facebook profile, Ahmadinejad doesn't even have an account. There is however, a group entitled "I bet I can find 1,000,000 people who dislike Mahmoud Ahmadinejad", which already has 45,000 members.

This post was compiled with help from one of our Observers for Iran, Omid Habibinia.

"Savita Bhabhi", the sexy sister-in-law driving India crazy

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:45:23 +0200

There's a new Indian website that's not quite like the others. Welcome to "Savita Bhabhi", the first porn comic strip "made in India". A fine mix of sex and tradition that's managed to both tantalise and traumatise the country that gave birth to the Kama Sutra.

Many websites have fallen victim to an X-rating in India, but one that's yet to be branded is homemade comicstrip Savita Bhabhi. The formula is simple (a voluptuous young woman who finds herself in compromising situations), but the social implications are slightly more complicated. Savita Bhabhi is an experimental mix of both old-fashioned values and modern concepts. The leading character is a married woman - particularly evident because her the part in her hair is died deep red and she wears a gold pendant (equivalent to a wedding ring). She also wears the traditional sari and the red dot between her eyebrows (the bindi).

Savita's husband is often away, so to escape the boredom she sleeps with various passers-by. For this bhabhi (which means sister-in-law), nothing is taboo, not even incest - which is a subject that Indian webusers seem to be particularly fond of. One page of this volatile saga is published every day and translated into nine national languages. The site has already provoked complaints, according to the Information and Technology minister, and could soon face censorship. No doubt its 30,000 subscribers won't be too pleased.

No erotic Disneyland for the Chinese

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:20:10 +0200

Image posted on ChinaRen.com.

China's first ever sex theme park was demolished on Monday, before it had even been opened. Deemed "evil" by officials, the giant genital sculptures that were intended to bring sexual enlightenment to the Chinese public, are now lying in ruins.

"Love Land" was planned to open to the public in October this year. But as the unusual sculptures were erected over the Chongqing horizon, locals became increasingly disturbed by what they might be faced with. Photographs of the park posted online at the weekend led to worldwide publicity and widespread debate. On Monday, the local authorities decided to tear the park down, bulldozers at the ready.

Yoani tests Cuban censorship with a hidden camera

Julien — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:05:14 +0200

Our Observer in Cuba, blogger Yoani Sánchez, has decided to test Cuban Web censorship with a hidden camera.

Subtitles by France 24.