SIYE DLAMINI

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Written By Weave News

BIO

Siye Dlamini grew up in the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini and at 20 years old moved to the USA to pursue a Bachelor's degree. She graduated with an honors degree in Political Science. Storytelling is a big part of Siye’s identity. She always says that she grew up in theatre, and throughout her life, she has used it for her storytelling. Siye is currently exploring a career in digital content production, which she is finding to be an extension of her passion for storytelling. Siye has experience in video and audio content production, branding, and marketing.

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Bodies in Revolt: The Everyday Resistance of Iranian Women to State Oppression
Bodies in Revolt: The Everyday Resistance of Iranian Women to State Oppression

In this piece for Turning Point magazine, Gaia Guatri and Shekufe Ranjbar explore the ongoing struggles of Iranian women in the years since the start of the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the subsequent wave of state repression.

Cycling Against Borders: Seb’s Journey
Cycling Against Borders: Seb’s Journey

Seb’s journey is no ordinary bike ride. So far, he has cycled over 4,346 kilometers, leaving their home in Amsterdam with a mission: to fight against borders. Their journey will stretch across continents, immersing them in regions shaped by complex histories of migration and conflict. As Seb pedals through 20 borders, he seeks to understand the legacies of Western involvement in these areas and how they keep displacing people from their homes. It’s a journey about awareness, liability, and learning.

On Euphemisms and Military Spending
On Euphemisms and Military Spending

According to the Real Academia Española, a euphemism is defined as a word or expression used in place of one that is harsh, unpleasant, or rude. Euphemisms are more and more rampant in political and economic debates (which is a way of describing what is often mere propaganda). The citizenry, passive and defenseless spectators, summoned only when there are elections and in the face of the enormous power of the mass media and social media, swallow them one after another, incorporating them into our everyday language as if they were undeniable truths. 

Social Housing Journal: A Buffalo Story
Social Housing Journal: A Buffalo Story

The first time I ever heard the term “social housing” was at a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) meeting in Buffalo, NY, in the fall of 2024. A former colleague of mine invited me to the meeting, which was hosted at Crane Branch Public Library in the Elmwood Village neighborhood where I live. Convening that day was the infrastructure subcommittee in the DSA’s Buffalo Chapter. They were discussing housing issues, which have been a professional interest of mine since my first job in public policy in 2016.

Union Square’s Climate Clock: A Symbol of Climate Urgency Lost in Translation
Union Square’s Climate Clock: A Symbol of Climate Urgency Lost in Translation

It is a bright Saturday, the crisp air of late February stubbornly holding onto winter’s cold. Before me, Union Square Greenmarket unfolds in quiet rhythms. Usually a place of hurried crossings, the square now offers a reason to pause. Vendors line the pathways between sparse naked trees, nature reaching skyward as if trying to catch its breath amid the city’s steady hum. New Yorkers seem to find newfound fascination in sunflowers or a vintage teapot; it is a curious way of placing extraordinary importance on the seemingly unimportant.  Amidst the hustle, something larger looms. A colossal clock, eighty feet wide, stands proud atop One Union Square South, overlooking the tranquil Union Square Park as its stark digital display counts down in red, pixelated numbers.  

Global Indigenous Peoples News Bulletin #2 (March 2025)
Global Indigenous Peoples News Bulletin #2 (March 2025)

This newly launched bulletin focused on Global Indigenous Peoples News, part of the Glocal Exchange project of Weave News, seeks to highlight some of the current issues from Indigenous communities in different parts of the world. Issue #1 of the bulletin was published in Weave Notes, our Weave News newsletter. The focus of the bulletin is aligned with the overall purpose of the Glocal Exchange project, which examines globalization through its impact from the perspective of local communities. It also supports the Weave News mission to “investigate and report about contemporary issues that are either underreported by establishment and other corporate media or reported in a way that excludes essential context, perspectives, and voices.” These are “issues that have a strong justice component and that reveal connections across communities, borders, struggles, and experiences.”

Interweaving with Premesh Lalu: The Long, Global Shadow of Apartheid
Interweaving with Premesh Lalu: The Long, Global Shadow of Apartheid

As Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US elections continues to reverberate both domestically and internationally, it is essential to confront the complex web of authoritarian politics, resurgent racism and nativism, technological power, and so-called “anarcho-capitalism” that the second Trump administration is bringing into public view. In this context, many observers have noted that key figures such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have deep roots in South Africa, suggesting that their influence on this new wave of authoritarianism may represent a new chapter in the story of South African apartheid.

“El Arte No Es Delito”: Colombians Reclaim Their Voices on the Streets
“El Arte No Es Delito”: Colombians Reclaim Their Voices on the Streets

Exploring a city as a tourist can be a vastly different experience from doing so as a local. Though I was born and raised in Neiva, Colombia, it was not until my foreign friend visited that I realized how the resistance against state violence and corruption is vividly illustrated in my hometown's public spaces, leaving no room to turn a blind eye. Her amazement at the art, phrases, and graffiti covering a small city like Neiva sparked a conversation about the country’s political landscape at the time.

A Social Housing Development Authority for New York State
A Social Housing Development Authority for New York State

On February 6, 2024, New York State (NYS) Senator Cordell Cleare, a Democrat in the 30th Senate DIstrict (including Harlem), introduced Senate Bill 2023-S8494 to establish “the New York State social housing development authority as a public benefit corporation to increase the supply of permanently affordable housing in the state through the acquisition of land and renovation or rehabilitation of existing real property, and through the construction of new, permanently affordable housing.”

Where Are You Going, Europe?
Where Are You Going, Europe?

And now what? It seems the new US administration has taken the initiative to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. This represents an important shift from the policy developed by Joe Biden, which consisted of promoting and fueling the conflict and trying to put Russia, and in the process Europe, on the ropes.

Community Gardens in a War Zone: A Call for Solidarity
Community Gardens in a War Zone: A Call for Solidarity

How do you take care of community gardens in a war zone? How do you educate communities about the importance of protecting non-human animal rights while you hear machine guns firing in the distance? For those who live in countries that have the privilege of peace, these conditions might be hard to imagine. However, the Initiative pour le Progrès et la Protection de l'Environnement (IPPE), or the Initiative for Environmental Progress and Protection, has become all too familiar with realities of running an environmental nonprofit amidst waves of mineral extraction-fueled wars.

Audaciously Hoping: Independent, Grassroots, and Global Perspectives on Social Housing
Audaciously Hoping: Independent, Grassroots, and Global Perspectives on Social Housing

Let’s examine what we know about social housing. Here I have curated a variety of articles by independent news outlets which have reported on social housing developments “glocally” (that is, locally and around the globe). We selected independent news outlets because they dare to examine the issue via ideas that challenge the status quo. Mainstream (or legacy) media have reported on social housing, too, but their bias is toward capitalist market solutions for the housing crisis. In this context, social housing is casually dismissed as a viable housing strategy. If you read independent media, however, social housing receives treatment as one of many viable housing strategies that can help New Yorkers and other Americans.

We Have Entered the Era of ‘Global Boiling’ - Marine Wildlife, Ecosystems, and Economies Are Being Devastated
We Have Entered the Era of ‘Global Boiling’ - Marine Wildlife, Ecosystems, and Economies Are Being Devastated

Marine heat waves are causing record-breaking ocean temperatures that kill animals and impact ocean-based industries.

The European Flag Against Trump?
The European Flag Against Trump?

We are witnessing the spectacular and, so far, unstoppable rise of all forms of fascism. We find the most recent act of this drama in the United States with the victory in the recent elections of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump, whose electoral program, even beyond demagoguery and grandiose statements, did not hide its intentions and is already being carried out.

The Streets That Turn Trash Into Treasure
The Streets That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Even a simple thing like taking a stroll around a Danish city can tell you about this country's deep commitment to combating climate change and supporting the welfare of its people. Copenhagen's approach to sustainability quickly stood out to me; even the smallest details on the streets—like the city’s trash bins—have a deeper meaning and purpose than what meets the eye.

Hungary’s Asylum Policy: A Regional Dilemma With Global Implications
Hungary’s Asylum Policy: A Regional Dilemma With Global Implications

On June 13, 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) fined Hungary 200 million euros and imposed a daily penalty of one million Euros for failing to follow the EU’s asylum laws and for illegally deporting migrants. The ECJ stated that Hungary had committed an "unprecedented and exceptionally serious breach of EU law" by restricting refugees’ right to seek asylum.

“Not Another Billionaire!”: North Country Activists Mark Inauguration Day With Rally for Economic Justice
“Not Another Billionaire!”: North Country Activists Mark Inauguration Day With Rally for Economic Justice

On a day when Donald Trump, surrounded by tech titans such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, was inaugurated for the second time, a group of determined residents in northern New York took to the streets seeking to re-energize the struggle against oligarchy and predatory capitalism. 

Invisible Borders, Vital Care: How Migrant Women Sustain Europe’s Aging Societies
Invisible Borders, Vital Care: How Migrant Women Sustain Europe’s Aging Societies

As Europe grapples with an aging population and declining birth rates, migrant women have become indispensable to the care work industry; filling critical gaps in caregiving roles. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), there are approximately 169 million international migrant workers worldwide, with nearly 80% of women in this workforce employed in the services sector, including care work. 

Echoes & Algorithms: Stories Beyond the Code
Echoes & Algorithms: Stories Beyond the Code

In the second installment of Echoes & Algorithms, we examine the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and grassroots journalism. At the heart of this exploration lies a pivotal question: How do AI's ability to process vast amounts of data and its challenges in understanding human complexity influence the narratives of grassroots journalism?

California Fires: Independent, Grassroots, and Global Perspectives (UPDATING)
California Fires: Independent, Grassroots, and Global Perspectives (UPDATING)

As apocalyptic wildfires continue to burn and proliferate in and around Los Angeles, CA, it is important to seek out coverage and perspectives that help contextualize the story, connect it with larger structures and processes such as the world’s escalating climate crisis, and point readers toward opportunities to provide grassroots support. Below we are curating and aggregating important coverage from US-based independent and grassroots media outlets and also from global outlets that are looking at events from outside the US.

What Does It Mean to Survive?
What Does It Mean to Survive?

Time is human, time is ever-changing, never the same, time is unexpected, time is ruthless, and time is everything.

Everything can go so right in a matter of seconds, and in a matter of seconds, all hell can break loose.

I remember the exact time when everything went so wrong and so right.

Decoding ‘The Media and Me’ (Book Review)
Decoding ‘The Media and Me’ (Book Review)

As a professionally trained historian, it’s important for me to introduce my review of The Media and Me: A Guide to Critical Media Literacy for Young People with commentary and analysis on the Philip L. Graham quote: “News is the first rough draft of history.” Graham, former president and publisher of the Washington Post, was reported to have made this claim in 1963, and it has been memorialized as an evocation of journalists’ front line role in the production of history. The quote has been cited as a way to appreciate journalists as the first to document the people, places, and things that matter to the history of a given society – as providing evidence of happenings and a lens through which to view them.

Celebrating the Most-Read Weave News Stories of 2024
Celebrating the Most-Read Weave News Stories of 2024

During 2024, Weave News was pleased to be able to publish a wide range of original content from our global network of grassroots journalists. These stories focused on a variety of social justice issues across the global-local continuum, from urgent struggles to protect waterways to the ongoing struggle against genocide in Palestine. As a turbulent year draws to a close, we feature the ten Weave News original stories and translations that were read the most throughout the year.

Grab a Coffee and Meet Me At the Graveyard
Grab a Coffee and Meet Me At the Graveyard

One of the first places I visited during my semester in Copenhagen was not

only a beautiful park, but also a graveyard. Located in the heart of Nørrebro, this

multipurpose space—Assistens Kirkegård—is both a cemetery and a park. While the cemetery still serves its original purpose as a burial ground, it has evolved into a recreational space. For some locals, this is the area where they jog five kilometers every morning; for others, it is a place to meditate. For the busy bikers, this is the scenic street that they whizz down on their way to work in the city; and for the guides facilitating cemetery tours, this space is a source of income.

Grassroots Media as Mutual Aid: Breaking the Hold of Information Pollution
Grassroots Media as Mutual Aid: Breaking the Hold of Information Pollution

The result of the recent US elections provides further confirmation that what we are witnessing in much of the world is the consolidation of a 21st century form of fascist authoritarianism grounded in the rising power of Big Tech as well as resurgent forms of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. But it is also an elite project of meeting present and future climate crisis, with all of its horrifying ripple effects, through mass violence (including genocide) and mass manipulation. What does such a moment mean for those of us who work in grassroots and independent media? What does it demand of us?

Activists Under Fire: The Rising Criminalization of Civil Movements Across Europe
Activists Under Fire: The Rising Criminalization of Civil Movements Across Europe

On May 22, 2024, the air outside Berlin’s Humboldt University was thick with tension. Over a hundred people had peacefully gathered at Universitätsstraße in solidarity with a group of students. The students had occupied the nearby Institute for Social Sciences and renamed it Jabalia Institute after one of the largest refugee camps in Gaza—known as a historic stronghold of resistance. Their voices rose together in steady, rhythmic chants, demanding peace and justice for people facing genocide and violence in Palestine and Lebanon.

Interweaving with Filmmaker Alexandrine Benjamin: Bringing Haiti’s Maternal Health Crisis to Light
Interweaving with Filmmaker Alexandrine Benjamin: Bringing Haiti’s Maternal Health Crisis to Light

Haiti faces immense challenges, including political instability, gang violence, and barriers to healthcare, especially for expectant mothers. These issues are vividly portrayed in N'AP Boule, a short film featuring a young couple navigating protests and dangerous streets in a bid to reach a hospital before the birth of their first child. In this interview, filmmaker Alexandrine Benjamin shares the inspiration behind N'AP Boule and her mission to shed light on the maternal health crisis in Haiti. The film’s powerful message aims to move viewers to support Haitians’ struggles and push for change.

Great Salt Lake and the Uinta Basin: An Intertwined History
Great Salt Lake and the Uinta Basin: An Intertwined History

I live in Salt Lake City, which lies between the Wasatch Mountains and Great Salt Lake, on the ancestral lands of the Ute, Goshute, and Shoshone peoples. My ancestors are Mormon settlers who colonized the Salt Lake Valley in the 1800s. Like many here, I became concerned in the last few years about the drying of Great Salt Lake.

Trump, Europe, and Military Spending
Trump, Europe, and Military Spending

It is clear that Donald Trump's broad victory in the US elections will have – and already has, in fact – important economic, social and political consequences, both in the United States and on a global scale. And, of course, it also affects Europe.

Activism for Palestine in Trinidad & Tobago: A Form of Kinship in Resistance
Activism for Palestine in Trinidad & Tobago: A Form of Kinship in Resistance

During this year’s annual Carnival festival in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital city of Port of Spain, a Moko Jumbi – a traditional stilt walker and spirit dancer – paraded the streets representing Palestine and demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In Trinbagonian culture, the Moko Jumbie represents a spirit walking over and protecting the souls of all those who were massacred and lost during the transatlantic slave trade. This year, its mission was extended to solidarity with the Palestinian people.

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