Article published April 24th (not updated) on Global Voices:

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/04/25/mexico-concern-over-swine-flu-outbreak/

Mexican health officials have become concerned with an outbreak of swine flu, which has caused the deaths of 68 in Mexico City, and another 1,000 have fallen ill. What makes this flu particularly worrisome is that the deaths involved young people, and not those from vulnerable demographics. On the streets of the capital, residents are taking precautions to avoid the virus and others are waiting to see if it spreads.

The outbreak prompted the closure of museums [es] and schools, as well as the cancellation of cultural events [es], and even many football matches over the weekend.

Defeña Salerosa of Esta Maraña de Contradicciones [es] summarizes the reactions of Mexicans during this outbreak:

Those who think that this is a governmental measure to cover up something “like the chupacabras” - “smoke screen”, and that something, who knows what it could be: narcotrafficking threats, stock market scams, etc. There are those who think that we are surely reaching a pandemic. Those who think that the measures from the health sector and presidential cabinet to be exaggerated and extreme. Those that are truly scared and don't want to leave the house, and when they do use facemasks and scarves (yes, with this heat I saw two people with scarves!) Those that already feel mucous in their respiratory tracts. Those that try really hard trying to find the most sarcastic and humorous comment/phrase about the matter.

From Mexico City, Daniel Hernandez of Intersections provides regular updates on his blog and a look at the scene on the streets of Mexico City on Friday night:

But what are things like on the street right now? People are out and about, only every other pedestrian is wearing a surgical mask. Some arty party events tonight have been canceled, but otherwise, D.F. life as normal, if just a bit more surreal than usual.

Flickr-user Victoria , a teacher in Mexico City commented on Hernandez' post about arriving to her school on Friday morning:

As I walked in, I immediately noticed that i I didn't see any students.

Then they told me, oh, it's because of the outbreak of influenza, and then I vaguely remembered recieving at text message from UNONOTICIAS at midnight.

Then I hung out and listened to all my Mexican colleagues talk about how this is the first time this has ever happened, and speculate about how bad the situation truly might be, for these measures to be taken. Then I went home, on the metro, with my blue face mask on.

Some bloggers are providing tips about how the flu is contracted, such as Ana Maria Salazar writes that despite the name of the flu, one cannot contract it from eating pork.

The government has planned to administer the flu vaccine to health workers, but there are none available for the general public. Right now, they are recommending that people wash their hands frequently and to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, among other measures.

Il y a un an disparaissait le Nègre fondamental, laissant le pays et son peuple orphelins et livrés à leurs propres choix.

The “Nègre fondamental” passed away one year ago, leaving his country and his people, orphans and the only actors of their own choices.”

This is how Martinican blogger Imaniyé introduced her homage-post to the late Aimé Césaire [Fr]. It is indeed with great reverence that Martinicans celebrated the first anniversary of the death of Aimé Césaire, who passed away on April 17th 2008.

Last week's posts in the Martinican blogosphere said a lot about how much people felt - and still feel - about this great man. It is with a huge picture and a very brief quotation from one of Césaire's works that Bondamanjak paid homage to him on April 16th [Fr]; but the solemnity of the post does not hide the strength of its title: “AC pléré an nou lité” [Fr Creole], which means “Let's stop crying, let's fight now”. As a matter of fact, Aimé Césaire was one of the precursors to the ideals behind the popular movement which took place from February to March 2009 on the island, as he was a staunch defender of Négritude and “self-governance”.

The multiplicity of the causes defended by Césaire is clearly shown in the huge number of contributions and comments sparked by the anniversary of his death - especially on the blog Montray Kréyol: since April 16th, Montray Kréyol has published an average of fifteen posts about the man himself, his achievements or tangible ways in which to honor Césaire today. Indeed, one of the first posts on Montray Kréyol (published the day before the official anniversary) deals with the decision of the French national postal service to honor Aimé Césaire with a stamp. This decision triggers a very ironical comment from the author [Fr]:

Le nègre vous emmerde, et maintenant va falloir le lécher…

Il n’a pas l’air de plaisanter, M. Césaire, sur ce timbre-poste qui doit sortir le 17 avril en métropole, mais également les 17 et 18 à Fort-de-France, en Martinique. Et pourtant, c’est l’image de lui choisie par La Poste, qui a tout à y gagner, pour rendre hommage à celui qui élabora entre autres le concept de la négritude.

This Negro is getting on your nerves, but now you will have to lick…

He doesn't look that nice, Mr Césaire, on this stamp which will be issued on April 17th in Continental France, but also on April 17th and 18th in Fort-de-France, in Martinique. However, that is the picture which has been picked up by La Poste, which is making a good deal with this homage paid to the man, who created with others, the concept of Négritude”.

Martinican blogger Imaniyé also posted a message to Aimé Césaire, which she has chosen to call “Bélya Aimé Césaire” [Fr Creole], referring to a traditional Afro-Caribbean funeral wake dance and music, which also focus on the stamp.

In the blog Negritude, named after the concept Césaire founded, readers can have a look at a re-published post by Alain Nicolas, who has established a lineage between the recent social events in the French West Indies and Césaire's ideas [Fr]:

Un an après, au moment où se sont fait massivement entendre les voix des Guadeloupéens, Martiniquais, Guyanais, Réunionnais, aspirant à plus de décence et plus de dignité, le verbe du « Nègre vertical » résonne, étrangement prophétique.

One year later, at the time when Guadeloupean, Martinican, French Guianese and Reunionese voices made themselves heard, as they are yearning for more decency and more dignity, the words of the ‘Nègre vertical' ring out as a surprising prophecy.

Negritude also shares different initiatives that are being staged to celebrate the late poet and politician:

- plays in Paris and in Benin.

- official celebrations in Martinique.

- the renaming of a university faculty after him in Haiti.

See post by Fabienne Flessel with links on Global Voices.

One of the main obstacles to communication between African countries, and African countries and the world at large, is according to me the diversity of languages. If people from different countries do not speak the same language, mutual understanding becomes difficult.

I think this problem is now about to be solved by online communities of translators, such as Maneno.org and globalvoicesonline.org. One of their objectives is to dissipate this darkness between languages.

Today, Bambara language is now visible on the web. For me, it means that a great darkness has dissipated between Bambara and other languages. We can translate from other languages into our language to be informed of what is happening in the world.

It will help organizations seeking to promote african languages, as well as those fighting illiteracy, and literacy teaching efforts in Mali.