The growing number of online initiatives to support South Sudan

Online initiatives to support South Sudan

Web users could watch live coverage on the new government web site as South Sudan became an independent state on the 9th of July. Online initiatives to support the world’s 193rd nation have been multiplying ever since.

A group of communication professionals have launched Welcome 193 to help South Sudan build basic infrastructure in areas such as health or education. The site uses social networks to raise money for humanitarian organizations working in the country.

South Sudan is a large, but severely under-mapped area. And so Google and the World Bank have joined forces and are asking web users for their help by using satellite maps to identify roads, schools, and also hospitals. This data should prove useful for both the government and NGOs.

But the borders of the new country have not yet been defined, as the North and South are still battling over the oil-rich Abyei region. This area is being monitored by the «Satellite Sentinel» project set up by American actor George Clooney to avoid the outbreak of violence in the region. Satellite images are uploaded to the project’s web site on a regular basis, to show potential troop movement for example.

And the NGO Sudan Action Now is also trying to promote peace by urging web users to convince the Obama administration to intensify diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement between the two countries.

The soundtrack of the Libyan uprising

This track has become a hit in Benghazi, the capital of the Libyan revolution. It’s called “No more lies” and was composed by the band FB 17, named for February 17th, the day rebellion broke out in Libya. It’s from an album they began recording in March, as rebel fighters were trying to repel an attack by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
 

Now free from censorship, the arts scene is booming in rebel held cities. The people who run the site Alive in Libya met up with Hamza Eltajori, a young rapper who is determined to make the most of this new found freedom to support the Libyan revolution, in his own unique way.

The web site has also made this video which focuses on a more traditional band of 15 or so members. Here we can see them performing the Free Libya national anthem for members of the National Transition Council.

And a great number of pro-revolution songs have appeared online in recent months. Most of them were composed by anonymous artists, like this one which pays tribute to the city of Misrata, under siege by forces loyal to Gaddafi for weeks on end. 

USA: “Journalism's voyage West”

Stanford University has developed an interactive map which plots the history of American newspapers. When you move your mouse up and down the time line, over 140 000 newspapers published over three centuries in the United States are revealed, so you actually visualize “journalism’s voyage west”. The data comes from the Library of Congress' "Chronicling America" project.
 
 
“Where is this ?”

It’s annoying when you see a picture of a wonderful looking beach or city, but you do not know the name. Well on this site, you can upload a photo and web users from all the world will help you find out where the picture was taken. Lots of shots, have already been identified, and might just help you decide on your next holiday destination.

Video of the day

Here’s an odd looking bird, flying through the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It’s the Swiss inventor Yves Rossy, also known as “Jetman”. He has developed jet propelled wings which allow him to soar through the sky for around ten minutes at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.