Dear Robin, I disagree with the statement: “If ICANN wants to be a truly international governance institution, it cannot be afraid of AFRICA. Time for ICANN to grow-up and go into Africa with or without the entourage of elite Western businessmen” The above statement gives the impression that AFRICA is a place that one is afraid of. Please note that there are many countries/nations in Africa and the majority of them are democratic, where many religions cohabite in peace and harmony. It is sad that people take the exceptions from AFRICA and generalise that all are the same. Best regards Dave Kissoondoyal _____ From: Non-Commercial User Constituency [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robin Gross Sent: 22 January 2010 21:18 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [NCUC-DISCUSS] ICANN meeting and security concerns ICANN would send a terrible message to the world if it cancelled this meeting in Nairobi. Now is when the world is looking to ICANN to be more international and to open-up its processes away from only the small handful of privileged Western businessmen that have traditionally managed the org. I hope ICANN will not perpetuate these overblown fears about Nairobi and insult much of the world by canceling the mtg. because certain ($$) people have been frightened by the media into staying home. If ICANN wants to be a truly international governance institution, it cannot be afraid of Africa. Time for ICANN to grow-up and go into Africa with or without the entourage of elite Western businessmen. My 2 cents, Robin On Jan 22, 2010, at 3:54 AM, Carlos A. Afonso wrote: Right now São Paulo is under a wave of protests in the poor communities (which is more than 70% of that city of 11 million) against local public policies. This is motivated by the poor record of the local and state government in handling sanitation, flood prevention and urban development. Some communities are under water and sewage for more than 40 days now. As expected, the local police reacts with the usual stupidity and violence breaks up. But the big media is aligned with the state government, and nearly no news of these protests circulates, except in the many alternative blogs. Since what happened in Nairobi involves a "fashionable" religious conflict, big media blew it out of proportion, it seems. --c.a. McTim wrote: Bill, I haven't cross posted to ALAC or any other list, but want to give NCUC members a first hand perspective. Nairobi is no less safe now than when ICANN decided to hold its March 2010 meeting here. Last weeks violence happened because police banned a demonstration from happening after Friday prayers. The Jamaican cleric was deported last night. It was a very, very small scale skirmish. I've been in far worse riots in Washington D.C. It would be an over reaction IMHO to cancel or move the March meeting from Nairobi at this point. Kenyan and other African stakeholders who are looking forward to the meeting would be very annoyed indeed, and with good reason. -- Carlos A. Afonso CGI.br (www.cgi.br) Nupef (www.nupef.org.br) ==================================== new/nuevo/novo e-mail: [log in to unmask] ==================================== IP JUSTICE Robin Gross, Executive Director 1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 USA p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451 w: http://www.ipjustice.org e: [log in to unmask]