Post flower day- millions spent on few hours of show and then...

When I saw this video I felt terribly sad for the people there- tearing apart flower decorations brought to the country just for one day, in fact few hours for a show that cost millions of Azerbaijani Manats- to celebrate the birthday of the late president. 

Were they doing it because they hated it? I doubt. Were they doing it because they just wanted some free flowers? Probably. 

Instead, perhaps Administrative Authorities could have organized a day of people in Azerbaijan, open food stalls for the poor, assist those families who are in need, pay extra that month to teachers, doctors, and other state employees- all of this still could have been done in the name of the late president if thats the aim- to commemorate, to pay respect- at least, they could have done something to commemorate the tragedy of April 30th, the shooting at the state oil academy and done something nice for the veterans on Victory Day on May 10th. But I guess none of this would look as grand as the Flower Day...

Spirit of resistance

Wanted to share with you (and apologies for my long absence) an inspirational video of two men, from two different countries, from two different struggles but sharing one familiar and common story. Their story and the story of their struggle. 

I had the privilege to meet both of them this year at the School of Authentic Journalism (more on that in another post) in Mexico. They truly are inspirational just like their story. 

With no further ado I present you Mkhuseli "Kusta" Jack from South Africa and Oscar Olivera from Bolivia.

Once upon a time in Mexico

I was lucky to be able to visit the park where the statue of Heydar Aliyev once stood in Mexico City. Here are few snapshots of what is left.

Say freedom no more? [Updated April 14, 2013]

See the second part of the post for updates

So it isn't just movies and exhibitions on human rights and freedom that are being banned these days back in Azerbaijan. In fact, its all about banning anything that contains the word "Freedom" itself looks like. On Wednesday, April 10th, the office space of the Free Thought University was sealed [RU] by the local police. No further explanation was provided by the local authorities and the University postponed its lectures indefinitely. 

Known at home as AFU, it is one (if not only) independent venues for young people to come and listen to lectures on a range of topics. As the website of the university explains it itself- AFU is a space offering its visitors alternative education.

Who knows, maybe the government would ban the word itself very soon. And then it would probably say something along the lines, Azerbaijan achieved all the necessary levels of freedom so no need to mention it, or say it no more. 

Updated:
On April 11th, 2013, the Free Thought University placed an official explanation [AZ] regarding the "sealing" operation. According to the statement FTU was shut down based on vague allegations put forward by the prosecutor general office. The statement reminds that OL! is a youth movement not an NGO and there is no legislation within the legal framework of Azerbaijan stipulating some kind of mechanism for such institutions. The FTU never received an official grant. In fact, to continue its work, within its current format, OL! has been working to find a legal solution. It is for these reasons, closing down FTU's premises is completely baseless. The letter, asks for the prosecutor office to unseal the FTU premises. In one final remark, the statement reminds its readers that the FTU is OL! project solely and has no relation to any other institution.