Wikipedia's "blackout" raises awareness of issues other than Sopa

Wikipedia's 24 hour "blackout" may be the eye-opener that founder, Jimmy Wales, intended for the public to react upon, to make us realise just how dependent on it we have become. The "blackout" is a reaction to a US legislation on online piracy that may be passed, forcing websites such as Wikipedia, Google, and Facebook "to keep a closer tab on what is posted by users". It is a Digital Age, and, as we all know, like er, duh, who doesn't use the internet?

No doubt, today's (English language only) Wikipedia blackout will affect the lives of millions of people around the world, not only "students", as Metro so joyously pointed out. Anyone who is anyone has conducted some last minute "wikipedia-ing" before an interview; before meeting someone they want to impress; or indeed during a pub quiz.

But in the latest issue of PR Week, Matt Cartmell points out that editorial on Wikipedia is swiftly becoming an issue, with PR companies using the site as a way to screen good/bad press; intending to censor bad press, essentially. Earlier in December last year, The Independent led a "damaging sting" on said topic.


The CIPR, one of the UK's PR and corporate communications trade associations, has welcomed input on how to monitor the approach to Wikipedia within the PR industry from none-other than Wikipedia’s Wales.

Wales is obviously an advocate of the ethical use of the online encyclopaedia, and certainly, should the Sopa (Stop online piracy act) not get passed, he'll be giving a few more seminars similar to the one he is due to deliver on Friday to Bell Pottinger, training employees on the ethical use of Wiki. Great news for PROs and stakeholders/consumers alike.

With the vast growth of online platforms of information such as encyclopaedias, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and foursquare, it was inevitable that a country as huge as the US would feel the need to step in and monitor it somehow. Never mind that it completely and utterly contradicts their freedom of speech and liberty rights acts. I do wonder if perhaps a scare such as Sopa has nudged public awareness in the right direction, despite all this negativity.

It would stop PR agencies such as Bell Pottinger from doing things such as removing the "wife beater" nickname of Stella Artois from its Wikipedia entry.

Introducing Wikipedia guidelines is a great idea, but I am dubious as to how many people will stick to them, and how, if at all, the future of Wikipedia editorial will be monitored if it is already a not-for-profit venture.

Thus far, Wikipedia merely "asks users to avoid editing topics in which they have a vested interest", but I see no way of physically stopping the act of unethical editing, especially not since some "senior figures" believe such censorship is fine.

I admire Mr Wales for attempting to address such a huge subject and tackling the problem head on. I have more respect for the CIPR for unashamedly getting involved with this matter at the height of Wikipedia's problems.

What I would like to see more of, is people backing Mr Wales and the CIPR on the matter, and a sturdy solution to "open, transparent engagement with the public through Wikipedia". Because it really isn't too much to ask, is it?

The Taylor Bennett Foundation

I got the phonecall as I wandered distractedly through Oxford Street’s H&M, hands full of bags, mentally drained from the day, and heavy of heart. As I shifted my bags from one
hand to the other and pulled my phone out of my pocket, the unsaved number flashing
back at me made my heart skip a beat.

Several thoughts went through my mind at once; “It could be the Taylor Bennett Foundation calling to say I haven’t got through to the internship,” or “It could be TBF calling to say something went wrong during the assessment today,” and finally, “It could be TBF calling to say I’ve got through.”

But it was good news. I barely remembered Sarah Stimson, the TBF’s Course Director’s
exact words despite the importance of it, I can only remember the elation I felt and how
gobsmacked I was at being selected as one of the eight interns who had made it through
to the Talk PR TBF Programme.

I had only left the venue for the Assessment Day around an hour before I received the
phonecall, and the day had been full of excitement, nerves and new faces - still on edge
after being told we would hear if we had been accepted that very evening, I had not
completely recovered from the day’s experience yet.

The Assessment Day itself was brilliant if intense; my day began with a group presentation
after being divided into two groups of applicants; followed by a short break; followed by
another group presentation; followed by our solo presentations. All this, before lunchtime.
After lunch, we ploughed straight on with two back to back interviews.

I learned so much on that day alone, that I told myself if I walk away tonight I’m going to
be a wiser and stronger person with the confidence to continue with my PR job hunt. After
graduating with a Masters in International Journalism , PR had not been part of my life
plan at all - then moving to Nepal changed my life.

I worked at an NGO hospital as their PRO for a year in Nepal and realised that PR
incorporated everything I loved under one title. I was able to write, edit, create, and
manage press releases, events, and campaigns. But I had no idea how to get into PR
back at home.

A friend and mentor told me about the TBF programme for graduates, and I went straight
onto their website only to discover I had missed the deadline for the Autumn 2011
Programme. Still, it paid off, as I researched as much as I could before the Winter 2012
fashion PR intake, finding @PRStarsTB and @GoooRooo on Twitter for updates. Once I
saw Sarah tweet about accepting applications, I went for it.

After receiving a response on the same day as the closing date declaring I had been
accepted onto the next stage, I was ecstatic! It was my first interview after almost 150 job
applications in six months, and the best news I had received to date.

I am overwhelmingly excited to be participating in this internship as I am fully aware the
opportunities it can lead to. For anyone who feels defeated at the current job climate, don’t
be. All it took was one moment and one chance to change my situation. Now I'm sat in the TBF offices, writing this.

What a difference a day makes...

"What's the most racist thing that's ever happened to you?"

Needless to say, as soon as I read the article title on The Independent's website homepage, I knew I was opening up a can of worms.

It's not that the question isn't loaded. I'm fully aware that racism still exists, and for as long as man shall live alongside one another with differences, it always will. As a British-born Chinese female born in the north east and brought up in the north west, such a question will always hold significance.

It's just that when I scrolled down to the sixth interview, and I read Dr Lynette Goddard's account of her most racist encounter, that I felt it was an issue I finally had to address through writing.

"I used to work as a stage manager with a touring theatre company called Black Mime Theatre Women's Troop. In 1992 we were touring a show about women and alcoholism to a youth centre in Carlisle. On this night I was understudying for one of the actresses. About halfway through the show, a young lad ran toward the stage spraying a fire extinguisher and shouting: "Get off, you black bastards." This was the first time I had experienced such explicit racism and I remember it to this day, especially when I go back to Carlisle."

For those of you who have not met me, Carlisle is my hometown. I would like to say that I was surprised to hear that Carlisle made it on the Racism Map of Shame, but in truth, of course, I'm not. I'd also like to say that I grew up in a lovely, innocent environment, feeling like I "fitted in" my whole life and I never noticed the colour of my skin, but I would be lying.

The truth of it is, that the colour of my skin has never mattered to my friends, family, or even friends of friends growing up in Carlisle, but every so often, I would experience something in my hometown which would jerk me back to reality from my "everyone is born equal" haze and realise that this issue will always be a part of me, and that there will always be those in the world who are uncomfortable with it.


I finished reading the article and immediately a handful of events, vivid as the colours of rainbow sprang back into my mind. I didn't even need to ask myself the question purposefully; my brain was already singling out incidents from my overall-happy childhood to chide me into writing this post.

There was the time I was in the playground of my primary school and a boy a few years older than me was teasing me about my name, chanting "Cindy, where's Barbie?" incessantly. Like any five year old, I found it irksome, and told him to "Shut up," after five minutes of trying to play with a skipping rope. The boy stopped mid-chant, narrowed his eyes at me, and replied in a measured, almost mature tone, "What do you know, Chinky?"

This was the first time I had ever heard the word, and while I did not understand its full venom when used in such a circumstance, I remember how it made me feel to this day. That was the first of many incidents I've experienced, but one of the few I experienced actually in school. Other incidents always occurred when I had friends around, when we were socialising, when I least expected it; usually just incomprehensive teenage jibes which I am able to write off after initial shock as ignorance, but on more than enough occasions, I've also had on nights out with girlfriends:

 "Oi, Ting Tong, I have a video with someone who looks like you in it at home, do you want to come and watch it with me?"

And even when I know it shouldn't, those are the ones I find most hurtful and shocking, because when a drunken middle-aged man leers at you in such a way, you know that in his heart he truly believes you are inferior to him. I always took these comments more personally than other racist comments because it also referenced my gender - yet I was the one being verbally attacked, not one of my girlfriends.

The article in The Independent is right to address issues of race, but when discrimination isn't only about the colour of your skin but also about your gender, the topic gets so much more complicated. It says a lot about the person who is insulting you, but inwardly I know it makes me uncomfortable because it reminds me of my differences; differences which my friends and family have never made me feel but parts of society will always be around to reproach me for.

It is easy for me to remind myself that the racism I have faced, especially in Carlisle, is due to a lack of education. It's one of those things your friends tell you, that your mother tells you, that your cousins who have faced the same situations, tell you. There are however, those who say they are not racist, who genuinely do not believe that they are racist, and stand by that assertion even after making sweeping comments about all Chinese people being hard gamblers, or that "your lot" are "coming in the droves to this country aren't you?".

My concerns in light of today's ruling at the Old Bailey on the 1993 case of Stephen Lawrence's murder  do pale in comparison, and I'm glad that justice was served today. It is not for me to judge whether the verdict is right or wrong, but I can say that the media coverage, the support Lawrence's family have publicly received, and everyone's interest in the case proves that racism is, and forever will be, an issue worth talking about, and always an issue worth educating people on.

In response to the question then, Mr Paul McKenzie, I have found that there are too many to count and put into words, but it's not the words that I hear which strike a chord - it's the underlying meaning of the message, which each racist comment carries, that I will never be able to get used to, no matter how many times it happens.

The Pen is Mightier...

It's been a long while, as anyone out there who has been following my escapades can see, but I am home from a very long Nepali adventure indeed, and boy, was it a worthwhile break!
I learned a lot from Nepali people that I never expected to, things worth more to me now than they ever would have prior to such an amazing trip, but now, alas, a new adventure and a new job hunt awaits me.
Certainly before I left the UK for Nepal, I had no idea how much I loved writing.
That was partly because I had no real idea how powerful the written word truly was. Writing, in its best most fluid form, is enchanting. It's emotive. It's dramatic. It's thought-provoking. It's powerful. It's The Holy Bible. It's the Qur'an. The Magna Carta. It's the Dalai Lama, and the list goes on.
Let's get back to basics - I'm absolutely, positively sure that as you read this blog post, you're not thinking or aware of the people who are currently not reading this post, or of the people who simply cannot read. According to UNESCO, 796 million adults worldwide cannot read or write. Two thirds of them are women. 63% of this 796 million live in Southern Asia, which brings me back full circle to Nepal.
In some rural parts of Nepal where I visited, there was a 36% literacy rate. Literacy is measured in different ways depending on who runs the survey and what they are trying to achieve. Testing may only involve knowing how to read and write one's own name.
And so it came about that I began to write down stories about people; about their adventures which were much more interesting than any I'd had so far; whose lives somehow I came across out there in various mountainously remote and majestically stunning regions; where I only caught glimpses of their daily lives.
I met an illiterate mother of three who started a micro-finance group in her village and paid for her husband to learn to drive lorries in India so that they could afford to buy books and food for their children.
I met an illiterate mother and father who looked after their severely disabled son every day and never grew tired of it.
I met an illiterate farmer who found out that the pesticides he was using were slowly killing him, but he had to carry on using them in order to earn enough to feed his family.
Looking For Godot never set out to be a way for me to flex my story-telling skills, it began as a way to keep my friends, family, and anyone else interested updated on what I was doing in Nepal. Instead, it led to me being able to share the stories of these wonderful people in a national daily newspaper. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by the feedback I received for some of the stories from people who had lived in Nepal all their lives and had never realised such people as those in my stories existed outside the metropolis of the Kathmandu valley. In those moments, it dawned on me just how powerful the written word is.
And now I'm back on home ground again, looking for some other rare rubies of advice, awaiting my next adventure.
Shame though, because I still haven't found Godot.

China in Africa; helping or hindering?

This year's Fairtrade Fortnight may be drawing to a close, but the noise it has generated in the UK alone will resonate for a long while.  Fairtrade Fortnight has highlighted how important trade is to Africa and if China's presence in Africa is anything to go by, the Chinese could help many African countries take advantage of this over the coming years.

Last November, China was looking to “bolster its African presence” by holding the fourth ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) at Sharm el-Sheikh.  In an interview with Chinese news agency Xinhua, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Wu Chunhua said, “The conference will be held to comprehensively evaluate the achievements after the Beijing summit of the FOCAC in 2006 and draw up a plan on China-Africa cooperation for the next three years."  Wu believes that the conference will solidify any relations China has with Africa to “maintain and further bilateral ties”.  So what did they achieve? 

According to their website, FOCAC agreed that they would try to strengthen the "China-Africa strategic partnership through the announcement of eight new measures related to investment, aid, trade, cultural exchange, etc."  It is unclear, even on their website, exactly what these eight strategies are.  They have however, outlined areas they will be offering to support Africa in; by providing $10 billion in concessional loans, and pledging in "zero-tariff treatment on 95 percent of products from the least developed African coountries".  FOCAC also agree to "promote cooperation" in Africa through agriculture, infrastructure, ecological and environmental protection, and social welfare.

Many experts from the African countries involved with FOCAC agree that the relationship is wholly positive and that the suspicions arise from rival trading countries in the West.  Doctor Flora Musonda, Director of Trade for the East African Community, believes the relationship is nothing but beneficial to African markets.  “China’s prominence in Africa is a good thing as it diversifies the source of imports-exports markets and also foreign direct investment,” she argues.  “China is assisting many African countries in terms of infrastructure development such as roads, dams, buildings and trade.”

As Chinese-African business deals go from strength to strength, the unlikely alliance of China and Zimbabwe comes under closer scrutiny as China struggles to keep its promise of separating business and politics.  Late last year, Zimbabwe was granted a $950 million “credit line” from China to rebuild its economy.  Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who shares power with president Robert Mugabe said that the money would go to rebuilding Zimbabwe’s infrastructure.  According to Tsvangirai, at least $10 billion is needed to rebuild Zimbabwe’s “dilapidated infrastructure and ease a 90 percent unemployment rate”.

The Chinese have stepped in to befriend a government which many Western powers are hesitant to be associated with, thanks to Mr Mugabe’s tyrannical reign.  Zimbabwe is a country struggling with huge amounts of debt and under-paid civil servants and teachers.  China is the only country who has offered the ailing country help because it claims not to interfere with the politics of Mugabe.

The truth about Chinese presence in Africa remains somewhat of an enigma to Western powers, with experts arguing over whether China is attempting to colonise Africa, or whether they are simply capitalising on the natural riches it has to offer.   Of all the African countries, China’s presence has left their heaviest footprints in Zimbabwe, which critics have berated at length.

The Chinese-African relationship already caused controversy last year during the Darfur conflict, as China supplied the Sudanese government with arms and ammunition.  China has a colourful history of selling arms to Zimbabwe and Sudan regardless of a United Nations embargo.  The Chinese president Hu Jiantao’s blossoming friendship with Robert Mugabe has become a highly contentious issue since an incident before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when the Chinese vessel An  Yue Jiang bound for Zimbabwe was forced to return home loaded with ammunition, rockets and mortars in total weighing 77 tonnes.  Many believed that the ammunition was Mugabe’s response to his loss in the general elections after 28 years in power. 

Vessels such as An Yue Jiang are seen frequenting African ports because China has been known to provide Mugabe and his government in Zimbabwe with high-tech, Chinese-built gunships aircraft and warships.  Mugabe is thought to be allowing Chinese investors access to Zimbabwe’s minerals and raw materials in exchange for civilian and military aircraft.  Mugabe’s 25 bedroom mansion in Harare was also built by the Chinese with help from the Malaysian government and has been estimated to have cost around $10 million while many Zimbabweans still live in poverty.  Unapologetically, Mugabe told New Zimbabwe, "It is lavish because it is attractive.  Of course it is lavish, the Chinese are doing the roofing. They are our good friends you see."

China has large stakes in Zimbabwe’s platinum mines as well as stakes in Zambian copper mines, and Angolan oil reserves.  According to the Council on Foreign Relations Africa holds only nine percent of the world’s oil reserves in comparison to the Middle East’s 62 percent.  Currently China imports a third of its oil from countries such as Angola, Nigeria and Chad.  Africa’s oil reserves are exclusively accessed by China due to their numerous investments and experts at the CFR say there could still be untapped oil reserves still out there.   Angola only recently leapfrogged Nigeria to become Africa’s top oil supplier, making China Africa’s top crude oil stakeholder, overtaking Iran.

In an effort to become the world’s economic powerhouse it appears China will not be apprehended by any international pressure to curb its ambitions.  Business relations with Africa’s tyrant Mugabe may just be the beginning of a series of controversial economic partnerships.

The Big Swap, it's not too late!

I just got back from a Fairtrade screening of Black Gold, the film made about how big a difference Fairtrade coffee makes to not just families in Ethiopia, but economically for the whole world.  Check it out, it might just change your mind and switch you over to Fairtrade for good.

Tonight, I may also have made a small breakthrough.  I asked a certain Starbucks-frequenting friend to accompany me to the screening, and while most friends excuse themselves one way or another, (so I braced myself for the answer) she, said she would "love to" attend.  I suppose it could have been the atmosphere and that everyone who had turned up for the showing of the film was a "Fairtrade activist" in one way or another, but I saw a change in her immediately after the film that no "preaching" (which I am guilty of when friends have urged me into a Starbucks) had ever successfully accomplished.  Seeing the film had demonstrated to her what my words were never able to convey, I believe.

The concern in her eyes as she turned to me and said, "I want to do something, but I don't know how," filled me with a hope which I had not felt for some time.  Then she voiced her fears.

"I see these things [happening in developing countries] and I want to help, but I have no idea how, so I tend to ignore the issue and carry on."

The idea had never occurred to me.  Education is the most valuable tool anyone can have, and Black Gold had opened my friend's eyes in a way I had never thought to.  I know many of my friends do not read this blog, but it had never occurred to me that they would not already know why fair trade is important and how it can change the economics of a developing country like Ethiopia.  I had always trusted my instincts and rather narcissistically believed that if people around me could see why I was passionate about something, then surely they could see its importance.

But not every consumer knows the impact, or the power they have over the coffee market for example.  That the deciding price of coffee beans are made not in Ethiopia, Kenya, or London, but at the New York stock market.  That coffee farmers in Rwanda were once denied a right to a fair price for their coffee beans because Starbucks refused to give them the trademark rights of the coffee they were selling on to their middle class customers.  That some coffee farmers get so little for every pound of coffee they sell that to translate that amount into English is impossible because there is nothing smaller than the pence in our language.  That a "fair price" does not mean enough money so that these farmers can go and buy cars, or big houses for themselves.  A "fair price" means enough money to provide enough nutritional food and an education for the members if their families.

My last comment then, is that once you know about something, it's even easier to do something about it.  The hard bit was discovering that something that you care about passionately.  Find that something, and hold on to it, whatever it is.  Research it, read up on it, act on it.

Because switching to buying Fairtrade really is just the first step.

Fairtrade isn't charity, it's justice.

Get involved in The Big Swap

Fairtrade Fortnight a roaring success

Though Fairtrade Fortnight is not officially over yet, it has been named as the most successful in promoting fair trade goods in all of Fairtrade Foundation's history. This year, over 20 villages, towns and cities have been certified Fairtrade and schools and committees up and down the country have been hosting Fairtrade fashion shows, proving support and awareness is steadily rising. Even Hadrian's Wall is officially certified Fairtrade as of this Fortnight.

The Fairtrade Foundation have also reported that "public loyalty" towards buying products at a fairer price for farmers, artisans, and producers in developing countries has increased, claiming even the tough economic climate has not hindered the "double-digit growth" of Fairtrade sales to £800m in 2009. With an extra £800m going straight into the pockets of farmers, factory workers, seamstresses and everyone involved in the Fairtrade process in a developing country, what's not to love about Fairtrade?

For anyone who's still unsure as to how to make the first step towards switching to a fairer product, start with the smaller pleasures in life - such as tea.  Whilst there are dozens of brands to choose from, you only have to look a little closer when doing your weekly shop to see ethically traded tea is easily bought for almost the same price as non-ethical brands from your local supermarket.  Brands such as Yorkshire Tea, Clipper (who are incidentally the very first Fairtrade certified tea in the UK), and Traidcraft to name just a few are doing their bit for their tea pickers, which means a fair wage, no pesticides, and investing money back into their local community.  100 percent fair for everyone involved.

Fairtrade fashion's image long ago lost its itchy hemp and stuffy anorak image, as it emerges stronger than ever this year thanks to a successful seventh season of London Fashion Week's ethical fashion exhibition Esthethica (sponsored by Monsoon and co-curated by Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci), which ensured dozens of high fashion ethical labels such as Angel Jackson and Noir showcased their goods.  Ethical fashion publicity has also been successfully drummed up this Fairtrade Fortnight by a certain Harry Potter actress. While I don't believe for a second Miss Watson single-handedly "designed" the pieces for the "Love From Emma" line at People Tree, anyone who is willing to raise awareness of the fact that workers in the clothing industry from developing countries are typically paid 5p an hour and work 80 hours a week, deserves a mention this Fortnight - especially since she is one of the first in her generation to lend her name to such a cause.

If People Tree's designs don't work for you, or what you do want is out of stock (as is quite often my case) why not try Bibico, Aura Que, Lowie, or Tara Starlet for some ethically made, lovingly-crafted, vintage, wooly and guilt-free shopping delivered to your door?  You know you want to, especially since their sales stuff is smoking hot and affordably so!

Just remember, Fairtrade Fortnight is about giving as well as receiving, so start receiving now =).