"Czechs, do you know who tidies up your house?"

A Ukrainian friend of mine forwarded me this video yesterday. It is a part of the campaign in defense of rights of Ukrainians that do domestic work in the Czech Republic (most of them are women). According to campaign organizers, Ukrainian women that work in Czech homes usually do not know their rights [ukr] and are frequently mistreated by their employers.

The video portrays a Ukrainian cleaner who is being yelled at by the Czech teenager for misplacing papers from his desk, which results in him being unable to complete his math home work on time. In the end, the cleaning lady picks up his assignments and solves equations in a few minutes. Turns out, she is a math teacher from Lviv. The video ends with a question, “Czechs, do you know who tidies up your house?”

A friend who forwarded it to me said that the video had involuntarily struck a sad chord with her, reminding of the fate of her grandfather’s sister, who’s been taken to Germany for forced labor during the war.  There, she was tending the cattle on a farm until one day she had helped the family’s child to complete a math assignment. After that helping children with their homework became her sole obligation.  

Ex.Ua, Copyright Debates and Ukraine's "Internet Revolution"

Here's a recap of the whole Ex.Ua ordeal that I have written for Global Voices a few days ago. There were many comments about how this was Ukraine's "Hackers' Maidan", "Internet Revolution" and so on, but I tried to quote some of the more critical reflections in order to shed light on many sides of this complex story.

Ukraine: Netizens React to Popular File-Sharing Website's Shutdown

On January 31, 2012, Ukrainian Internet users learned that the country’s biggest file-sharing site, Ex.ua [ru], was shut down due to repeated copyright violations. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, among the companies that filed a lawsuit [uk] against Ex.ua were Microsoft, Adobe, Graphisoft and others.

Ex.ua was one of the most popular websites in the country and accounted for 15-25% [uk] of Ukraine’s in-country traffic. It required no paid subscription and attracted millions of users who freely shared pirated video and audio files, games and software.

The news of the site's shutdown caused quite a stir online, with many netizens criticizing the government for going after Ex.ua and calling for its restoration.

Christina Vinovska (@chris_vinovska) tweeted a common appeal:

return #exua immediately!

People are protesting against the shutdown of Ex.ua outside the Interior Ministry in Kyiv. Photo by Sergei Svetlitsky, copyright © Demotix (1/02/12).

While many echoed her plea, others decided to take action both offline (photos of the Feb. 1 protest in Kyiv are here) and online.

Thus, following the release of the online statement about Ex.ua's shutdown by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry's website went down and remained periodically inaccessible due to “an increased number of visitors and possible DDoS attacks” [uk].

By that time many Twitter, Vkontakte and Facebook users were actively sharing detailedinstructions [ru] on how to overload the servers of selected websites. The target list included websites of Ukraine’s President Victor Yanukovych, the pro-presidential Party of Regions, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Parliament, and others.

What seemed to begin as a number of decentralized attempts, quickly turned into a mass organized effort, with Ex.ua supporters forming a “Free Ex.Ua” [ru] group on a popular social network Vkontakte [ru], which gathered over 6,000 members during the first hours of its existence (currently, there are over 41,000 members).

By February 1, the Presidential website was completely down [uk] and the Ministry of the Interior had to announce [uk] that it was going to use its two Facebook accounts until its official website was restored. By mid-day of February 1, Ex.ua had to appeal [ru] to users to stop the attack that succeeded in disrupting the work of nearly all major governmental websites:

Dear users,

Administrators of Ex.ua call on you to stop all illegal activity against governmental websites. […]

At the same time, a heated discussion of Ex.ua’s supposed illegal activity was taking place online.

Facebook user Sergei Sidorenko wrote [ru]:

In response to the mass mourning of the Ex.ua’s untimely death, I would tell you something different from what half of the Internet has been yelling about:

I do not have a single piece of licensed non-free software on my computer
I watch only pirated films
I jailbroke my Apple iPod soon after the purchase
Even the licensed Windows installed on my laptop I soon [removed] and installed a pirated one, because it was more convenient for me

But I have to admit that shutting down Ex.ua was the RIGHT THING. And I don’t understand those who now yell, “Yes, they were pirates, but was that a reason to close them?” […]

Guys, if we want to live a civilized [life], let’s at least not condemn the obvious attempts to establish legality.

In defense of Ex.ua, Yaroslav Fedorak of Blogosphere.com.ua wrote [uk]:

Yes, I really do believe that according to today’s legal framework, file-sharing website Ex.ua was conducting an illegal activity and sooner or later would have been closed. But don’t be too quick to throw stones at me! The problem here lies in the legal framework itself, which is hopelessly outdated and no longer meets the needs of the current super-dynamic and hyper-volatile environment.

Amidst such discussions, it was not long before Ukrainian Internet users began to question whether the authorities themselves were following the letter of the law. Giving in to increased media attention, the Ministry of the Interior had to admit [uk] that it was also using pirated software, while holding negotiations with Microsoft to end this practice. Netizens were outraged.

Yurko Chervony (@skinik) tweeted [uk]:

They should first shut themselves down, and not #ex.ua “[The Ministry of the Interior] admitted that half of the software [they're using] is illegal”tinyurl.com/7tjq7c8

Many netizens shared an online comment [uk] by Oleksandr Severyn of Maidan.org.ua:

When marauders fight with pirates, pirates become national heroes

Other netizens, however, believed that the government's action against Ex.ua was motivated not so much by the copyright violations, but by the website hosting [ru] an extremely popular parodyvideo [uk] mocking the Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.

Pavlo Rizanenko (@rizanenko) tweeted [uk]:

Our authorities closed #exua because they did not want to have an uncontrollable information resource on #UaNet [Ukrainian Internet – GV]. Piracy was just an excuse rizanenko.livejournal.com/983.html

Whatever the actual causes of its shutdown, following the unexpected mass reaction of Ukrainian netizens, Ex.ua was back online [ru] as early as February 3, when the investigators concluded [ru] that piracy allegations did not have to result in blocking of the site's domain name.

Many netisens viewed it as a positive case of online consolidation and organization of Ukrainians.

Serge Lavrinchuck (@Lavrinchuck) tweeted [uk]:

The #EXua story, of course, has its positive sides. When else the Ukrainian people would have united like this to attack government websites?

Numerous observers referred to the attacks as the “online revolution” [ru]. Maksym Savanevsky, editor of the Internet business and SMM website Watcher.com.ua, wrote [uk]:

What has changed in the society in the past 60 hours.

Most important: the citizens have had a taste of their victory. They have felt that “together they are many, and they cannot be defeated”. It is difficult to recall similar events since 2004 [Orange Revolution – GV].

Yes, the scope was not the same. Yes, everything happened online, inside warm apartments. But it has been a while since the authorities looked so helpless in the face of the people’s simple desire to get something they thought they deserved.

Still, others were critical of the society mobilizing in defense of a pirate website. Jouranlist Serhiy Shcherbyna wrote [ru]:

Where are you, the renowned [citizens], when honest, normal businesses are being bluntly taken from ordinary mid-level entrepreneurs? […] Why nobody touches the Tax Inspection's website for their regular [pressure] on business?

Why would you not [disable] the Interior Ministry's website when people are being killed at [local police stations]? Why would you not [disable] the Kyiv City Administration's website for [icy] roads on which people are breaking arms and legs every day?

Why are Ukrainians able to protest only when their social benefits and [free stuff] are taken away? Freedom of speech, the lawlessness of the authorities, politically-motivated [imprisonments], a half-dead economy and, most of all, a country that is nearing a collapse, all this is not causing such an outrage.

While the online polemics continue and the future fate of Ex.ua remains unclear, as of February 6, the website is operational and works on restoring its full capacity.

Written by Tetyana Bohdanova 

The Story of Anna Boiko's Life

I'd like to share a story I wrote for Global Voices yesterday. It is about a blog started by a young architect from Lviv.

Looking back at this post, I only wish there would be more blogs like Olya's and that I find more positive things to write about in 2012.

I would like to tell you about my grandmother – Boiko Anna. She was born and lives in the village of Yaglush in Rogatyn district of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. She is a cheerful, talented, strong person. A person who has been through a lot, who is full of knowledge and memories.

This is how Anna Boiko’s granddaughter, Olya Suprun, starts [uk] her blog called “The Story of Anna Boiko's Life.” Online, Olya shares her grandmother’s memories, including stories from the life of their family and other residents of Yaglush.

Her grandmother’s native village, Yaglush, is located in today’s Ivano-Frankivsk region of western Ukraine. This region belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1772, to West Ukrainian People’s Republic for a short period after World War I, to interwar Poland between the 1920s and the late 1930s, to the Soviet and then Nazi forces during World War II, and then again to the Soviets from 1944 until Ukraine’s independence in 1991.

Anna Boiko with her husband Mykhailo. Photo scanned by Olya Suprun, used with permission.

Anna Boiko’s memories recorded by her granddaughter go back as early as 1939 and depict the experiences of Yaglush residents during the times of the region's transfer from the Polish to the Soviet rule, the World War II period, and the subsequent return of the Soviet power. They touch on such painful topics of Ukraine’s history as the Nazi occupation, repressions and deportations of the local population during the early years of communism, the fate of the partisans from theUkrainian Insurgent Army.

This is how Anna describes [uk] the life of the village with World War II looming on the horizon:

The things in politics were tremulous, too, [people] were expecting better times than under Poland, but things did not turn for the better. The arrests and prosecutions began. Several families were deported to Siberia: Zakhariy Zliukovsky, Dutka and a few more families that were resettled here from Poland. The landowner’s land was divided up, and [my] mom got a few hundred [square meters]. But the land was of clay soil and inaccessible in the rain – there was no good road.

[…]

At that time the war with Germans was approaching. I remember it was a Sunday, a bright and sunny day. Grandma was chatting with a neighbor woman in the house. I went to the yard to let the chicken out […]. Suddenly [I heard] a loud roar of thunder – one, then another. I ran to the house and told grandmother, “Grandma, get the hen in, a rainstorm is coming!” Although the sky was clear, without a single cloud and no storm was in sight. Soon mom came home and said she heard in a village that there was a war! It was not thunder, but the sound of bombs falling. From that day on people became very cautious. It was the year of 1941.

Despite her grandmother's difficult childhood, Olya portrays her as a knowledgeable yet curious 75-year-old woman, who writes poetry and memoires, does beautiful embroidery, plays computer games and enjoys cooking. She frequently shares Anna’s poems, recipes and stories of everyday village life, while paying special attention to customs and traditions cherished by its residents.

Traditional dishes made by Anna Boiko for the 12-Dish Christmas Eve Dinner. Photo by Olya Suprun, used with permission.

In one of the posts, Olya admits [uk] to both being new to blogging and to realizing that her blog is rather unusual:

I know this blog is a bit weird and of an unusual format: strange, unknown house in the background, unpopular stories in which it is hard to find some meaning, and, in addition to this, their author – my grandma - is not the author of this blog… but it is neither [meant] for ratings, nor for profit; in order to understand its significance, one must read between the lines…

Anna Boiko reads a blog about herself together with her husband. Photo by Olya Suprun, used with permission.

It seems, however, that the popularity of The Story of Anna Boiko's Life has already exceeded its author’s expectations. In 2011, it was recognized as the best personal blog at Best Ukrainian Blog Awards [uk], and the number of its readers and fans continues to grow.

Written by Tetyana Bohdanova 

President Yanukovych in The Simpsons?

Long time no see! This was a busy end of summer-beginning of autumn, but I am back to writing. Here's a post that I did for Global Voices two days ago.

The twenty-third season of the famous television cartoon series The Simpsons premiered in the United States on September 25, 2011. The first episode of the season immediately became popular with Ukrainian netizens, as it humorously portrayed Ukraine and a Kiev mafioso called Victor. The most intriguing part of the episode, however, were the similarities between the character Victor and the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, pointed out [uk] by many journalists and bloggers.

For instance, apart from the quashed criminal record of Yanukovych, media representatives pointed out The Simpsons character’s strong figure, his luxurious office in the center of Kiev and numerous guards. Other details of the episode discussed online included Victor’s treatment of his wife, who is sent “back to her room” (Ukraine’s First Lady is known for leading a rather reclusive lifestyle and spending most of her time away from Kiev) and Beyoncé's planned concert in Ukraine (the singer performed in Donetsk in 2009).

Mafioso Victor, a screenshot from The Simpsons episode set in Kiev

In Ukraine, the episode went viral and was shared by numerous Facebook, Twitter and LiveJournal users. Many found it quite funny, while others were upset by such grim portrayal of the country.

MP and blogger Lesya Orobets (@LesyaOrobets)tweeted [uk]:

Хто б сказав, що сьогодні робочий день почнеться з перегляду мультика про Сімпсонів:(

Who could have predicted that the working day today would begin with watching The Simpsons :(

Twitter user Adam Radkowski (@Adamnet21) shared the link and wrote [uk]:

“Сімпсони” зняли серію про Україну. Ба! Знайомі обличчя!http://bit.ly/oa7Gft

The Simpsons have made an episode about Ukraine. Wow! Familiar faces! http://bit.ly/oa7Gft

Tweeter user @dark_vesta shared the link and asked [uk]:

Сімпсони і бандит Вітя http://life.pravda.com.ua/culture/2011/09/27/86240/ і кого мені так нагадує цей Віктор?)))

The Simpsons and a criminal named Vitya http://life.pravda.com.ua/culture/2011/09/27/86240/ and who does this Victor remind me of so much? )))

Dnipropetrovsk-based civic information website Dniprograd.org also shared the link on its Twitter account (@Dniprograd) and noted ironically [uk]:

ДНІПРОГРАД Янукович - всесвітньо популярний, про нього зняли “Сімпсони” http://bit.ly/qwGvUT #news #Dnepr

DNIPROGRAD Yanukovych is world-famous, [they] made a Simpsons [episode] about him http://bit.ly/qwGvUT #news #Dnepr

Ukraine-based Twitter user @idioteque_2017 also shared the link and wondered [uk]:

Напевно тепер Мета Грюнінга чекають трабли???))) http://bit.ly/rhvA2A #Сімпсони #Янукович

Perhaps now Matt Groening [the creator of the Simpsons - GV] should expect [troubles]?))) http://bit.ly/rhvA2A #Сімпсони #Янукович

Twitter user Ostap Malashnyak (@stefcjo) shared screenshots from the episode and wrote [uk]:

хоч комусь смішно з нашого горя… “Сімпсони” зняли серію про Україну http://myreport.com.ua/fotoreportazh_big/simpsony-znyaly-seriyu-pro-ukrajinu.html pic.twitter.com/GZrFBGoL

at least someone is laughing at our misfortune… The Simpsons have made an episode about Ukraine
http://myreport.com.ua/fotoreportazh_big/simpsony-znyaly-seriyu-pro-ukrajinu.html pic.twitter.com/GZrFBGoL

Twitter user Kashchuk Ilona (@ScoutGirl19) did not seem surprised, as she tweeted [uk]:

Сімпсони теж нашого ‘президента' висміяли -http://news.bigmir.net/ukraine/455775/#

The Simpsons have mocked our ‘president’, too -http://news.bigmir.net/ukraine/455775/#

So far, it is unclear whether the episode will be broadcast [uk] on the Ukrainian television.

Many hidden talents of Ukrainian MPs

Activists of Maidan.org.ua continue their campaign against Ukrainian MPs persistently voting on behalf of their absent colleagues. This time they have came up with a proposal to submit the Parliament of Ukraine and individual MPs for the Guinness World Records consideration in the following categories: "Parliament whose members voted for most absent colleagues during one vote" and "Member of Parliament who voted for most absent colleagues during one vote". To sign the appeal, go here.

A Ukrainian version of this video can be accessed here.
Some GV coverage of the issue is here.

Anti-revolution propaganda, Belarusian style

Lately it's been really interesting to follow developments on Belarusian segment of Internet. At this point, I'd like to share a few pretty good (and 'supposedly' user generated) videos created to discourage protests in the country. I assume the trigger was provided by the activities of the Revolution through the social network Vkontakte group and weekly 'silent protests' during which many people were arrested in Minsk and elsewhere across the country. (See some of GV coverage here and here).

(Thanks to Vilhelm Konnander for sharing!)

I can't recall such videos being circulated prior to or during the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. This, however, is NOT to imply that current situation in Belarus can be compared to events that took place here in 2004... 

Belarus: "the beginning of the end"?

One of GV RuNet Echo editors Alexey Sidorneko has written a good post about the last week's 'silent protest' in Belarus. While we're used to reading about protests organized online in the recent months, this post gives a good overview of some things unique to Belarus; in particular, the use of Russian social network Vkontakte, government going online and trying to engage with protestors through Twitter and LiveJournal, perceptions of Belarusian citizens about these protests being the "beginning of the end" of the regime, etc. 

Alexey has shared many user photos and videos as well. 

More here:

Belarus: Police Crack Down on Minsk Protest

Written by Alexey Sidorenko Posted 24 June 2011 1:19 GMT