Markmedia

The Imperative of Proxies

Amongst the many things I learned during my latest stay in Ethiopia was that censorship is a real and present danger. The Ethiopian government has, despite its denials, enforced a draconian web censoring policy. Web sites that provide uncensored news and information, that could in any way be deemed regime critical or defend the "unacceptable" are routinely blocked in a growing number of countries.

Quite a few of these countries (here is one list, see CitizenLab for more, or view the updated list of arrested cyber dissidents from Reporters without Borders) receive aid in different forms. Donor nations and organizations need to apply pressure on these countries to ensure the free flow of information to their citizens.
We know this. They know this. Not a lot happens.
Donor countries say that they are talking to officials in each of these countries. Donor organizations say that they are talking to officials in these countries. The mill of diplomacy grinds slowly. The mill of oppression grinds frighteningly fast and is increasingly effective. When a proxy server ( a server at an unblocked URL that allows access through it to blocked sites: eg anonymouse.org) pops up it does not take a lot of time before it too joins the banned sites list.

There is however something that could be done immediately. By organizations that perceive themselves as standing for freedom of thought, exchange of ideas and unfettered curiosity. Universities.

If every university had a freely available proxy server (particularly universities that have a development or exchange program with countries like China, Vietnam, Syria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe etc.) it would make it close to impossible to block them all.  Students could not access course material, teaching resources or professors web pages at the partner university. Not blocking the Universities web site could (and should) be a prerequisite for signing a contract.

We know that commercial companies have no morals other than those dictated by the bottom line.
Google, Skype, Murdoch, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Cisco Systems- they all have agreements with China to censor their search-engines to filter out websites overcritical of the authorities.

Donor organizations like UNICEF talk the talk but lack the political will/muscle to implement.

But Universities - dependent as they are on their reputation as bastions of free and independent thought as well as excellence in teaching -  could be in the forefront of a global campaign to free speech.

Teacher and student unions - got to it.
Journalists with Universities in your area, ask them why not.
Alumni -put the pressure on. Start campaigns. Do it now.

16th- Early 20th Century Maps of Africa

This site features digital copies of 113 antique maps of Africa and accompanying text dating from the mid 16th Century to the early 20th Century. All scanned maps are authentic and originally collected by the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies (or the Africana Library) at Northwestern University.
Searchable, or browse by title, cartographer, date, country or African region, or place of publication.

WikiLeaks- helping anonomize whistle-blowers

At the campaigns by various governments (Ethiopia, China, Zimbabwe etc) to block internet access to sites deemed "unacceptable"  ramps up, any and all ways to help whistle-blowers and users locate and access each other are welcome.
Here is one initiative reported on by the New Scientist mag:

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article.ns?id=mg19325865.500>

How to leak a secret and not get caught
By Paul Marks

[Excerpts]

Leaking a sensitive government document can mean risking a jail sentence -- but not for much longer if an online service called WikiLeaks <http://www.wikileaks.org/index.html> goes ahead. WikiLeaks is designed to allow anyone to post documents on the web without fear of being traced.

Normally an email or a document posted to a website can be traced back to its source because each data packet carries the IP address of the last server that it passed through. To prevent this, WikiLeaks will exploit an anonymising protocol known as The Onion Router (Tor), which
routes data through a network of servers that use cryptography to hide the path that the packets took.

There are however, fears that whistle-blowers might still be at risk. "I would not trust my life or even my liberty to Tor," says Ben Laurie, a London-based computer security expert. In the past, determined cryptographers have breached Tor's security, and though each breach has
led to improvements to Tor there is always a risk others will be discovered.

WikiLeaks will provide a forum for the entire global community to examine any document relentlessly for credibility," the site claims.

IRINnews.org: Horn of Africa

News reports on events in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Horn of Africa region in general. Covers conflicts (such as the Ethiopia-Somalia conflict), food security, weather events, disease outbreaks, humanitarian aid, and related topics. From the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) of the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Unfortunately there is no RSS-feed.

The Horn of Africa

Driving (or in my case being driven) in Africa is an amazing experience. The styles are very different as is the attitude. Even the dominant car colors are different. In Addis it is white, in Nairobi silver.

In South Africa the style is manic, aggressive and often violent. The Bus Wars are a symptom. When I asked what side of the road one should drive on the answer was "the opposite side to the guy coming at you". Sage advice indeed.

In Kenya (Nairobi at least) the style is less aggressive but in some ways more daunting. If the lane is blocked, and during the rush hours (yes hours! Between 07.00 to 0900 and 17.00 to 19.00) they always are, then you just take the lane on the opposite side, or the footpath, or any way that is available.  And there are lots of push bikes. Old school, with steel rods instead of cables, makes them look like bikes with a severe polio problem.

In Addis the style is aurally more aggressive but in actual driving terms much more laid back.
There is a lot of jostling, lanes are more an abstract concept than an actual reality and zebra crossings seem to be a way to arrange ferengi (foreigners) as targets. No Addis dweller would use a crossing when there are acres of car filled space to weave in and out of.

The way to get through a crossing is to be the most fearless. Inching your way into the crossing, seeing to it that someone blinks, steps lightly on the brake, shows any sign of weakness, then power through. Right of way is for whom ever takes it. But in spite of this there is no real feeling of aggression. No blood vessel bursting outpourings of venom. It is pushy and edgy but the main vibe is still friendly. Just like Addis in fact.

But the true signifier of Addis driving is the horn. It is as integral and important a part of the car as the steering wheel. It is used for everything and there seems to be a highly developed horn language. Soft tiny beeps for warning pedestrians who look like they might think of walking closer to the edge of the trafic, harder beeps to warn taxis about to pull out in front of you, loooong harsh ones for any car that has not anticipated the changing of the trafic lights and is not moving a micro milliseccond before the lights change.
There is a beep to remind the traffic cop that you have been waiting for more than 20 seconds and isn't it about time he let you through?
Then there is the beep that is the equivalent of the finger. Impossible to describe but equally impossible to miss.
Truly the horn of Africa.

sucky headline

It sucks to be sacked

recovering in Addis, reading about trials

I am just recovering from a huge hit of food poisoning. It was vicious. I can´t recall being this sick since my appendix burst when I was 15. I was totally, utterly, absolutely wrecked. The various liquids continuously spewing forth from all available orifices gave a totally new meaning to streaming media. And the cramps, man they killed.
After a day of this my flat mates called in the Norwegian nurse who was great. Or to be honest, the drugs she brought were great. Mega pain-killers and anti-biotics. It took them about a day to kick in but I am begining to feel human again and have even eaten some soup. Which stayed down.

As I recover I am reading the Ethiopian Papers. My favorite story thus far is from the Sub-Saharan Informer.
Reporting on the trial of jailed opposition leaders, journalists and others the paper gives the following insight into how trails proceed:

“I was beaten badly with an iron rod by CUD people,” said one witness who added it was because he was from Tigray and was speaking Tigrigna. He then pointed out from the defendants some of the people whom he alleged did the beating.
 
Melaku Bincha, Kassa Tadesse, Eyob Bekele and Fekadu Assefa were some of the defendants the witness pointed out.
Given the chance to cross-examine, Fekadu asked the defendant if he exactly remember him beating. “No,” answered the witness. “You didn’t do anything to me. I was beaten hard and I wasn’t in a position to know who beat me.”
Asked by the judge how he was then able to identify the defendants, the witness replied frankly  “I was told by the prosecutor.”

Well, I suppose that could be called transparency. 

 

 

Supper with a super blogger

Just back from a great evening with Andrew Heavens, the blogger behind Meskel Square.
Amongst other things he told us about his launch of the The Big Issue Ethiopia. The first printing of 2000 sold out in a day and the second printing of 3000 sold out at the Great Ethiopian Run.

Being there was fun, getting there was a nightmare (though fun in its own warped way). Addis is the original town "where the streets have no name". Our instructions were to drive to Siddis Kilo then turn left, straight along till the road starts to curve the take a left just before the curve gets very curvy, up the hill and look for the big white wall.  Then take a left just before the wall.

We got lost. Way lost. Way way lost. As we passed the Kenyan embassy and the 15 minute mark a certain nervousness set in. No street names, no street lights, shit - no actual street at one stage.
So we stop and ask someone. A scaly dude says he is just on his way there and can show us. OK. He hops in. We set off. He points we drive. And yea! we are back where we started. After giving our benefactor money "for my sick mother" ( she must have taken ill as we drove, but he was worth every birr) we tried again. This time we made it, but the van almost didn´t. The lane to Andrews house is just a number of connected mine shafts masquerading as potholes. Horn was honked, gate was opened and there he was smiling on his porch.

So thanks Andrew for the good lasagna, great company (and adorable baby) but lousy directions.

lunch

  lunch 
  Originally uploaded by markmedia.

Back from lunch. Three Four people had burgers, club sandwiches, eight  (yes eight) maciato coffees and coke and fanta. And cake. All for 63 birr (about the same in Swedish kronor).

Getting a sim card

Off to the Hilton Hotel to get a sim card. They now have an ATM which takes Visa and is one of several new ATM;s in the city. Anyway, to get your sim card you have to first make a copy of your passport. So, off to the business center. The guy there says that the copying machine is not working but id we come back in half an hour then his boss can copy it in another room. No, he can not do it, he hasn´t the authority.
OK, to the bar for a beer.
Its the Hilton so a beer cost about 20 birr (20 skr) which is about three times the cost anywhere else.
Rich prices for rich guests I guess.

Back to the copying place. A copy of your passport? No problem she says and makes one. Right there. On the "broken" machine.  Well, no biggie.
To the sim card shop. Again no problem. After filling out a number of forms, depositing the copy of my passport and paying the 370 birr the card cost, I put the card in my pocket anf off home. Bad move.
Card in cell phone, switch on, see network! Great. Try to ring. Get long message telling me (I assumed) what to do. In Amharic.
WTF! How stupidly arrogant do you have to be not to realise that the messages will be in the working language of the country you are in! However much that is, I am.
So, I ask the gate guard.
-No money on the card, he says.
Back to the Hilton.
The very helpful lady looks at me with a mixture of pity and exasperation. Takes the phone and does some magic things with nimble fingers and gives me back the phone. Working. Loaded. Ready to be rung.
So please, someone ring me!