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In Belarus, where censorship is pervasive and President Lukashenko presides over a repressive and autocratic regime, Pavel Marozau has used the power of humor and satire to undermine the government. Founded by Pavel in 2004, The Third Way Expatriates' Network began creating short satirical cartoons as a way to speak out against Lukashenko. Since then, the organization has begun using further cyberactivism tools to combat heavy government censorship of radio, television, newspapers, and most recently, internet.
In 2007, President Lukashenko announced his plans to tighten restrictions on the internet. Belarusian activists from The Third Way launched the LuNet campaign to raise awareness about the threat to online freedom of speech. The campaign was presented as a 53rd birthday gift the the country's president. LuNet included the LuTube video-sharing website, LuJournal blogging platform, Lundex search engine, and tut.lu web portal. These websites not only parody the regime, but also provide a glimpse into what Lukashenko is capable of doing with online freedom of speech.
Pavel Marosau and The Third Way Expatriate's Network's campaign against President Lukashenko's regime illustrate how cyberactivism and humor can be used to raise awareness about injustices and undermine repressive governments. Coming up on March 24 to 30, 2010, New Tactics is hosting a dialogue featuring Tactics That Tickle: Laughing All the Way to the Win. Join the dialogue and share how you have used humor in your activist work to recruit more supporters, gain media attention, and prevent burnout!
More resources:
- The Third Way Expatriates' Network- English
- Sami Ben Gharbia's interview with Pavel Marosau- English
- Bikya Masr's interview with Pavel Marosau- English
- LuNet- English
- LuJournal- Russian/Belarusian
- LuTube- Russian/Belarusian
- tut.lu- Russian/Belarusian
A Satirical Site Skewers Chávez and Politics
The popular Venezuelan website, El Chigüire Bipolar (meaning Bipolar Capybara), has continued its criticisms of Hugo Chávez and other politicians despite Chávezs recent push for tighter government control of internet content. The Venezuelan government has already closed a television network critical of the administration, and revoked the licenses of 34 radio stations across the country.They have attacked the founders of El Chigüire Bipolar, describing them as "partisan anti-Chávez drug-addicts."
Despite this, El Chigüire Bipolar is frequently surpassing the number of page views of mainstream news networks, including El Nacional. The website hosts photographs and videos criticizing not only the Venezuelan government, but also the leaders of other Latin American countries, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and even the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.The site's founders, Oswaldo Graziani, Juan Andrés Ravell, and Elio Casale, say they drew inspiration for their work from the American television show "The Colbert Report" and satirical websites like "The Onion".
A Satirical Site Skewers Chávez and Politics -Link to article
Ali Nardone
New Tactics in Human Rights Project Intern