Tag Archives: democracy

Kenyans do it better: thoughts on the first (ever) Kenyan presidential debate

Posted in: Politics | February 20, 2013 at 11:19 am , by Mike Miesen

Mike Miesen had the pleasure of watching the first ever Kenyan presidential debate while in Africa. The presidential debate was anything but boring; the debaters were engaged, articulate, and actually answering the questions asked....

Teaching children journalism to strengthen democracy and development

Posted in: Community Development, Media | August 22, 2012 at 11:22 am , by Jessica Carter

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Much of the world expects journalists to hold the government to account through their reporting. In Bangladesh, media repression and lack of resources hamper the ability to report effectively on challenges facing Bangladeshis. As Jessica Carter describes, in one Bangladeshi neighbourhood, children are being taught the skills to share their...

How the media shapes democracy (and the case of Cambodia)

Posted in: Humanitarian Relief & Post-Conflict, Media | July 1, 2012 at 11:05 pm , by Casey McCarthy

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From Australia to Vietnam and everywhere in between, the ability (or not) of the media to provide information that can facilitate civic discussion of issues that are (or should be) on the political agenda is a marker of a country’s ability to foster democracy. Casey McCarthy explores the role media...

Collaborating in Virtual Silence

Posted in: Alternatives in development | June 13, 2012 at 9:00 pm , by Donnie Maclurcan

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Janet Newbury and Donnie Maclurcan, members of the Post Growth Institute, would like to share one incredibly productive, flexible and democratic means of virtual collaboration. They ‘stumbled’ because it became the default method for their Skype conference calls ten seconds into their first attempt for nine of them to connect...

Don’t tell them you’re a healer! – Spirituality in the development discourse

Posted in: Alternatives in development | January 19, 2012 at 10:00 pm , by Mette Muller

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Spirituality is not an often discussed topic in development. Despite resistance from a lot of people, Mette Muller, who writes over at http://www.bestselfexperience.com, is setting out to change this....

If you were President of Ghana…

Posted in: Education | August 11, 2011 at 7:25 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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CitiFM, a radio station in Ghana, is asking children how they would use the country's oil revenues if they were President. If you were President, or Prime Minister (or even Supreme Overlord), of your respective country, how would you use revenues from resources such as oil? Although some children may...

Words I Never Said

Posted in: Multimedia | May 11, 2011 at 4:36 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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A new song from Lupe Fiasco that is all about self-censorship and speaking up. It is worth watching and listening to. Even if you do not agree with what Lupe says or believes, the track will get your head bobbing and your brain working....

War and Peace (prizes)

Posted in: China & Development | December 9, 2010 at 12:24 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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It is now well-known that a total of 18 countries have declined invitations to attend the ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. According to most reports, China is doing some heavy arm twisting and threatening consequences if certain countries attend. In this feature, Brendan looks at this odd...

National Endowment for Democracy – democracy for many, defined by a few

Posted in: Politics | July 11, 2010 at 11:54 pm , by Weh Yeoh

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In this opinion article, Weh Yeoh looks behind the notion of democracy as defined by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a non-profit organisation which administers grants to other NGOs working to promote and support democracy around the world. He highlights the importance of remembering those for whom democracy is...