Another week in our blogs has flown by. Here I come, borrowing a post structure first used by Benno, to highlight a couple of things to all our readers.

To begin with, I would like to introduce (for those of you who may not know) a superb, mind-blowing blogging initiative.

It is called Field Notes – from the Journalists for Human Rights’ (jhr), in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency. Both organizations send youths to some countries of the black continent to serve as journalism interns.

Once there, they report their experiences using blog posts, photographs, articles and other tools to bring up what is taking place in countries such as Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Remember: to end human rights abuses, first we must be aware of them.

I have randomly selected some extracts (below) which are great examples.

Smile FM. The once-charming name for a community radio station in southeastern Liberia is now, at best, ironic. At worst, it’s a mocking reminder of how tarnished this symbol of grassroots media and freedom of expression has become. Today, reporters at Smile FM in Zwedru, speaking only with anonymity, admit: “We work in fear.” (Pursuit of Press Freedom in Liberia)

As we got out of the car near the television station, Gabby turned to me and said, almost out of nowhere, “journalists are important here”, with a slight smirk that suggested he knew he held a certain power because of his line of work. Gabby explained that police officers, soldiers and politicians know better than to abuse their power in the presence of a journalist. If they do, their name will be on air or in the next day’s paper, almost unfailingly. What’s more journalists face little censorship here too. If a reporter is muzzled, neighbouring media houses will surely speak up against it. (Media Matters)

From there, we moved to the St. Francis Hospital to interview the only doctor in the entire county, Dr. Daniel Obasi. Originally from Nigeria, Dr. Obasi is on-call day and night, 7 days a week, to handle every major case in the county. But with no x-ray machine or other critical equipment, he’s limited in what he can do. The two ambulances rarely have fuel, so seriously ill patients usually transport themselves to Buchanan or Monrovia for surgeries. (Angry Elephants and Human Rights)

(Dr. Daniel Obasi, only doctor in River Cess County - Photo by Bonnie Allen)

Voices of the next generation in developing countries

A new UN Radio series – The Next Generation: Voices of 15-Year-Old Girls – capture the voices of teenage girls from three regions (Africa, Latin America and Europe). In their own words, the girls describe their problems and betrayals, as well as their hopes and their dreams.

Check out the series! It is really worth listening. It is not that long.

- Good education

- Health

- Gender-based violence

- Teenage pregnancy

Silenced for capturing Uzbek reality

The prominent Uzbek photographer Umida Ahmedova published in 2007 a compilation of over 100 photographs entitled “Women and Men: From Dawn till Dusk”. For these photos Ahmedova has faced slander and insult charges brought against her groundlessly.

Her lens followed everyday life and traditions in Uzbekistan, with a focus on gender inequality, but were found by the court to "discredit the foundations and customs of the people of Uzbekistan" and "offend [their] traditions".

Ahmedova was amnestied in the courtroom in honor of the 18th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence and will not go to prison. She plans to appeal the court's guilty verdict.

An excerpt from a review ordered by the Department of Criminal Investigation of the Tashkent Public Prosecutor’s Office claims “[A] pessimistic mood reigns throughout the photo album.  Put simply, life is shown to be very ugly. A foreigner who has never been to Uzbekistan, but who is familiar with this album, would reach the conclusion that this is a country where people live in the Middle Ages.”

Below you have some of her inspiring outlawed photos.