Thursday, 28 December 2017

Green Liberty: Sixth Six Months of M4D (1)

Global stories hunt completed


Planning and organizing of journalist individual trips that we have named Global stories hunt has been completed successfully. We have designed the whole process as five events: (1) journalist training, (2) competition of applications for individual trips, (3) networking and individual trip planning, (4) individual trips, (5) global storytelling festival that also served as a closing even of the project. During the first part of the year journalist training, competition of applications for individual trips, and networking and individual trip planning seminar were organized. This final part of the year and of the project implied journalist individual trips and storytelling festival. Also, publication of hunted global stories that can be considered as the concluding part of the Global stories hunt. 

Individual trips


Individual trips were completed by six journalists: Guna Gleizde, a Delfi journalist and editor who went to Haiti; Ieva Jurevica, a LTV journalist who went to Tanzania and Zanzibar; Anta Blumberga, a journalist from mediahouse “Dienas žurnāli” magazine “Veselība” who went to Swaziland; Ģirts Strazdiņš, a journalist from “Vides Vēstis” and Sandijs Semjonovs, LTV journalist who went to Indonesia; Andris Kārkluvalks, a Delfi journalist who went to Kurdistan region of Iraq.  

Individual trips inspired production of several articles, documentaries, TV and radio broadcasts, and other publications. All stories have not been told yet, so this list will be updated until February 2018. 

Storytelling festival
To conclude and celebrate Global stories hunt we organized a storytelling festival World Stories by Green Liberty on December 12 at Kaņepes Kultūras centrs, Riga. It was great to be together with nearly fifty friends, supporters, project partners, volunteers and colleagues.

Global stories produced by journalists supported three main areas that have been highlighted by majority of activities of Green Liberty – Fair trade stories, solidarity stories, and sustainable development stories. 

We invited journalists to share their stories in connection to these three areas. The aim to tell these stories was to emphasize how diverse the world is, that Latvia not a poor country, and we can do a lot to make the world better with our daily decisions. 

Participation of journalists in telling stories emphasized the special role of development journalism and media in enriching public awareness of how everything in the world is related. 

Each of the main areas was introduced by a member of Green Liberty – Inga Belousa, Ingrīda Strazdiņa and Jānis Brizga. Each of us explained the concept of the area by connecting it to variety of initiatives done by Green Liberty. After these highlights of the context, two journalists shared the stories from their Global stories hunt trips.


Inga Belousa shared that sustainable development stories suggest that development is not just economic growth, it is not charity, not the provision of help, not saving people, other living beings or environment only in critical situations. Development is a balanced interaction between the public, the public and the private sector. Development is characterized by values of society's consumer activities and the role of civic participation in decision-making. Andris Kārkluvalks, an international news journalist from Delfi stepped in and shared his stories about civic participation and security issues developed in his trip to Kurdistan, Iraq. Anta Blumberga, a journalist from mediahouse “Dienas žurnāli” and magazine “Veselība” shared her stories about Bulembu that is a city with future for Swazi orphans.


Ingrīda Strazdiņa highlighted that solidarity stories emphasize balanced development of a local community and care for local environment. She suggested that solidarity stories focus on individual, collective and ecological wellbeing where people play an active role in shaping all dimensions of life: economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental. Solidarity stories are about responsibility towards society and environment: collective production of goods, collective services, sharing work environment and resources, use and support Fair trade goods. Such stories are based on exchange, sharing, common use and co-creation for development of local community. Iveta Auniņa, a journalist from regional television Re:TV un Andra Briekmane, an editor of internet journal Tourism Guide from DELFI, shared their stories about solidarity enriched initiatives in Ghana: cooperatives of shea butter production, sewing and straw basket viewing.

Jānis Brizga argued that Fair trade stories are about a partnership based on sustainable development, dialogue, transparency of processes, respect and equity that offers better trade conditions and respects the rights of marginalized small domestic producers and workers. His conceptual ideas were illustrated by Ģirts Strazdiņš, a journalist from “Vides Vēstis” and Sandijs Semjonovs, LTV journalist. They shared stories about the beginning of palm oil industry chain in Indonesia, palm oil as a common ingredient in food, and about fair production of palm oil.

After stories and discussions we enjoyed delicious Fair trade chocolate cake, listened to music of Kārlis Kazāks, had fun in informal networking, and brainstormed ideas of global storytelling in the closest future. 

Published articles 

Articles to be published


  • Anta Blumberga. Svazilenda - smilšu grauds Āfrikā [Swaziland: a gain of sand in Africa – a story about social relationship, understanding, drive to survive and a huge power that sustain small countries], women magazine Una. – To be published in February 2018.
  • Anta Blumberga. Citāda bērnība [Another kind of childhood – a story about daily life of children who are growing up without their parents], illustrated magazine for juniors Ilustrētā junioriem. – To be published in February or March 2018.
  • Anta Blumberga. Kā sadzīvot ar čūskām [How to get along with snakes], illustrated magazine for juniors Ilustrētā junioriem. – To be published in March 2018.
  • Anta Blumberga. Kā sadzīvot ar čūskām [How to get along with snakes], magazine about health Veselība. – To be published in March 2018.
  • Ģirts Strazdiņš. On conflicts of locals and elephants. Vides Vēstis, Nr.1 (168), 2018. – To be published in January 2018.
  • Ģirts Strazdiņš. ­­. Vides Vēstis, Nr.2 (169), 2018. – To be published in February or March 2018.

Radio broadcasts



TV broadcasts in process


  • Vides Fakti ar sižetiem par palmu eļļu [Environmental Facts with stories about palm oil industry in Indonesia] – a broadcast about processes in nature and in neighbouring environment.
  • Aizliegtais paņēmiens par palmu eļļu [Forbidden Method about palm oil industry in Indonesia] – a television broadcast of investigative journalism on the first television channel of Latvia.





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