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African choices...critical voices...crossing borders...African stories... harnessing local knowledge in Africa
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

This issue of The Soul Beat looks at the role of communication in harnessing local knowledge in Africa. The edition covers a range of project descriptions, strategic thinking documents and materials related to local knowledge specifically in the fields of agriculture, sustainable development and health. >From the SOUL BEAT AFRICA partnership - Soul City and The Communication Initiative ...African choices...critical voices...crossing borders...African stories... *** Subscribe to The Soul Beat - http://www.comminit.com/africa/soul-beat-subscribe.html or e-mail Seipati Fountain sfountain(a)comminit.com *** EXPERIENCES http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences.html 1. LinKS Project This project is a regional programme working in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, that aims to enhance rural people's food security and promote sustainable management of agrobiodiversity. The project is called LinKS, because it explores the linkages between the crucial issues of local knowledge systems, gender roles and relationships, food provision, and the conservation and management of agrobiodiversity. LinKS aims to strengthen the capacity of institutions in the agricultural sector to apply approaches that recognise men and women farmers' knowledge in their programmes and policies. It does this through training, research and communication and advocacy. LinKS is administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/Pds82006/experiences-3950.html Contact Dr. Sachin Das linkstz(a)africaonline.co.tz OR Estevão Filimão Estevao.Filimao(a)fao.org OR Dr. Patricia Musi faolinks(a)agric.uniswa.sz 2. Traditional Knowledge and Community Healthcare - Nigeria Organised by the Fantsuam Foundation, this programme involves drawing and building on the health knowledge possessed by local people, especially women. Specifically, the project works with women in rural Nigerian communities in order to understand various traditional healthcare practices and introduce best practices and safer techniques for selected treatments. The purpose of the project is to produce a written catalogue of traditional medical wisdom, the content of which is largely generated by local people. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2447.html Contact John Dada johndada(a)fantsuam.com 3. Sahel Oral History Project - Africa This project by the UK-based SOS Sahel is an oral history project that took place in eight African countries in an effort to record the culture, history, and environment of the Sahel through the recollections, experiences, and perceptions of its people. The aim was not only to record indigenous knowledge but also to develop a practical methodology which could then be incorporated into development planning, project implementation, and evaluation. By talking with - mostly ageing - farmers, pastoralists, refugees, and others, researchers hoped to gain a better understanding of traditional land-use practice, land tenure, farming and pastoral systems, the causes of desertification, and other aspects of Sahelian life. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds092003/experiences-2134.html Contact Siobhan Warrington Siobhan.warrington(a)panos.org.uk AND otp(a)panos.org.uk OR Risha Chande risha.chande(a)panos.org.uk 4. Desertification 2002 - Southern Africa Organised by the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN), this regional network works to halt the spread of southern African deserts and enhance rural livelihoods. The purpose of the project is to provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge between scientists, development practitioners, and dryland community members; to generate an understanding of the value of linking local knowledge with scientific research; to interpret and disseminate information; and to offer working examples of community action. It does this by linking communities, field practitioners, governments, and scientists through a website, conferences, workshops, training, and community exchanges. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2291.html Contact info(a)drfn.org.na 5. Community Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge - Kenya Implemented by the Kyanika Adult Women Group (KAWG), this two-year project aimed to conserve the diversity of Kitete - a bottle gourd that is found in virtually every aspect of the Kamba people's traditional and cultural life - and its associated indigenous knowledge. The project involved the collection and sharing of knowledge about the Kitete through resource centres. Here, recorded materials, documents, and a collection of Kitete samples and seeds are available for use by members of the local community and others. Other activities include storytelling by elders - sharing myths, songs, dances, riddles, poems, and drama as well as listening to taped materials, looking at photographs, watching videos and reading written reports. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2282.html Contact Yasuyuki Morimoto y.morimoto(a)cgiar.org 6. Indigenous Knowledge Program - Sub-saharan Africa The World Bank's Indigenous Knowledge (IK) programme aims to facilitate dialogue between local communities, NGOs, governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector. This dialogue is intended to help bring indigenous/traditional knowledge into the activities of development partners and to optimise the benefits of development assistance, especially for the poor. The programme works primarily through a website that provides resources on IK such as a database on indigenous/ traditional knowledge and practices with over 200 case studies, a report on IK for development and videos, which document success stories in applying indigenous practices. The programme also supports over 15 resource centres across Africa that focus on the identification and dissemination of indigenous/traditional knowledge and practices. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2331.html Contact Nicolas Gorjestani ngorjestani(a)worldbank.org OR Reinhard Woytek rwoytek(a)worldbank.org 7. Aang Serian - Tanzania Aang Serian, which means "House of Peace" in the Kiarusha language, is a non-profit cultural organisation that aims to promote and protect indigenous knowledge. It focuses on education in an effort to raise the self-esteem of young people, to empower them to work together for a peaceful future, and to promote environmentally and socially sustainable development. The organisation has established a community college with a curriculum covering indigenous knowledge. They also undertake research in collaboration with other NGOs and have formed an international network of organisations that work to improve education for indigenous peoples while simultaneously preserving and promoting indigenous knowledge. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2233.html Contact aang_serian(a)hotmail.com OR Gemma Enolengila enolengila(a)yahoo.co.uk OR Yunus Rafiq mrafiq(a)indiana.edu OR Bob Webzell bob(a)webzell.co.uk STRATEGIC THINKING http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking.html 8. Grandmothers Promote Maternal and Child Health: The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems' Managers by Judi Aubel This article looks at the importance of community elders as knowledge providers in the context of child health. The results of experiences in Asia and Africa illustrate how change can be brought about from within indigenous knowledge systems when key actors in those systems, i.e. the indigenous knowledge managers, are involved in deciding if and how to combine global knowledge with traditional knowledge. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1846.html 9. The Utilization of Indigenous Knowledge in Range Management and Forage Plants for Improving Livestock Productivity and Food Security in the Maasai and Bargaig Communities of Kibaha by Nelson Kilongozi, Zabron Kengera and Samwel Leshongo By examining how the Maasai and Barbaig communities have traditionally cared for their livestock and environment, the report suggests ways to sustain indigenous knowledge and incorporate this with conventional, 'scientific' techniques of livestock care and land management. The authors recommend that policymakers and development workers should continue to recognise, identify, validate and document indigenous pastoral techniques and integrate them into conventional management approaches for pastoral land and should encourage knowledge sharing among the pastoral communities to allow them to expand their existing knowledge. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1902.html 10. Gender, Local Knowledge, and Lessons Learnt in Documenting and Conserving Agrobiodiversity Research Paper No. 2006/69 by Yianna Lambrou and Regina Laub This paper explores the linkages between gender, local knowledge systems, and agrobiodiversity for food security by using the case study of LinKS, a regional FAO project in Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania over a period of eight years. The project aimed to raise awareness on how rural men and women use and manage agrobiodiversity, and to promote the importance of local knowledge for food security and sustainable agrobiodiversity at local, institutional, and policy levels. They did this by working with a diverse range of stakeholders to strengthen their ability to recognise and value farmers' knowledge and to use gender-sensitive and participatory approaches in their work. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1828.html 11. Indigenous Management of Wetlands: Experiences in Ethiopia by Alan Dixon Using the case study of a wetlands project in Ethopia, this study discusses how the stability of wetlands has been undermined by development initiatives that ignore indigenous knowledge. The study states that while neither indigenous nor scientific knowledge alone can solve the problems of development, they can be complementary sources of wisdom in wetland management. The research recommends that maintaining an effective network for sharing local knowledge and experimenting with new techniques should be a key principle of sustainable wetland management. In addition non-governmental organisations and donors should introduce reviews of varying local knowledge, to support these networks. For example, they could organise meetings between members of the wetland farming community to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different management techniques. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1390.html 12. ICTs in Namibia's Communal Area Conservancies by Carol Murphy and Sandra Slater-Jones This article describes the use of participatory GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in Namibia's Communal Area Conservancies. The approach used by the Conservancy Programme, according to the authors, is innovative in not only capturing local knowledge of an area through participation of local residents, but in improving the spatial accuracy of maps through a geo-referencing procedure. The procedure involves village mapping workshops and careful recording to capture indigenous knowledge with regard to local area names, the spatial location of resources such as grazing, cropping and useful plant species, as well as wildlife sightings and movements. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1400.html MATERIALS http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials.html 13. Toolkit I: Capitalising on Local Knowledge - Methodological Overview & Case Studies by Noel Oettle and Bettina Koelle This Toolkit is designed to give decision-makers in government and donor agencies an overview of the concept of community-to-community knowledge exchanges, as well as practical approaches to their use in developmental processes and programmes. The volume contains case studies from Africa that aim to illustrate the successes achieved with the approach as well as the challenges faced during implementation. http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2006/materials-3054.html 14. Toolkit 2: Capitalising on Local Knowledge - Guidelines for Implementation by Noel Oettle and Bettina Koelle This Toolkit is designed to provide practical guidance in designing and implementing community-to-community exchange visits. It is intended for practitioners and service providers who wish to implement knowledge exchange processes. It is also aimed at students and development professionals who would like to better understand how the methodology is implemented. http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2006/materials-3055.html 15. Unleashing the Power of Knowledge for Meeting MDGs and Sustainable Development in Africa Fundamental Issues for Governance by Jacques L Hamel The paper critically reflects on the notion of knowledge, African knowledge, African knowledge economies (AKEs), African knowledge societies (AKSs) and African knowledge policies for sustainable development. Its purpose is to contribute to sustainable development thinking in the African region and open a new front in the development discourse. http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2005/materials-2534.html LINKS http://www.comminit.com/africa/links.html 16. Tanzania Indigenous Knowledge Database This is a database that has been established to enhance sharing and dissemination of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) information, experiences and practices in Tanzania. http://www.comminit.com/africa/links/linksngos/links-1645.html 17. Creating & Exchange of Local Agriculture Content (CELAC) This Ugandan organisation aims to develop agricultural content from rural farmers for dissemination through digital technologies, radio, and print. http://www.comminit.com/africa/links/linksngos/links-1709.html *** To view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter see http://www.comminit.com/africa/soul-beat-archives.html Subscribe to The Soul Beat Extra - your e-journal focussed in each alternate month on Community Radio or Edutainment. If you would like to receive the Soul Beat Extra on Community Radio or Edutainment please contact Seipati Fountain sfountain(a)comminit.com We would love to hear from you: Please send us your comments by going to http://www.comminit.com/africa/comments.html or email Anja Venth aventh(a)comminit.com For more comments on the Soul Beat Africa website see http://www.comminit.com/africa/comments_aboutus.html *** . *** A. Wanjira Munyua National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws

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Fw: [Catia_team] Engaging policy makers and regulators in Africa - theCATIA experience
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

FYI ----- Original Message ----- From: "Claire Sibthorpe" <csibthorpe(a)usa.net> To: "Lists: Catia_team" <Catia_team(a)catia.ws> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 1:27 PM Subject: [Catia_team] Engaging policy makers and regulators in Africa - theCATIA experience > > Engaging policy-makers and regulators in Africa > - the CATIA experience > > October, 2006 > > Media release > > For the past three years the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa programme > (CATIA) has worked towards strengthening the context for the vibrant > adoption and use of ICTs in Africa. The programme has been set up with > nine > components, each with its particular advocacy aim, in countries as diverse > as Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal. > > CATIA has shown that one of the most effective ways to have an impact on > the ICT policy landscape in Africa is by collaborating in > multi-stakeholder > processes, where experiences, perspectives and resources can be shared, > and > a common agenda shaped. > > Equally important, however, is how advocates engage policy-makers and > regulators. These experiences have been documented in an article entitled > 'checks and balances', which can be downloaded off the CATIA website > (www.catia.ws) > > Some of the key findings of the article are: > > * The distinction between policy-makers and regulators is not clearly > felt in some countries in Africa. Reasons include a lack of 'checks and > balances' or political instability, amongst them. Even in liberalised > environments, such as Kenya or South Africa, the independence of a > regulator > can be challenged by the state; > * Policy-makers and regulators are key to any ICT policy advocacy > process. However, having a policy influence may mean targeting influential > officials in government who may not be policy-makers or regulators > themselves; > * The direct involvement of policy-makers and regulators in activities > is an important way of ensuring the sustainability of advocacy > initiatives. > Advocates need to provide policy and regulatory officials with a sense of > buy-in and confidence in their work. Advocates need to demonstrate that > they > are serious; > * Developing informal relationships are often more effective than > formal engagements; > * Advocates need to nurture a culture of 'honest brokerage' so that > their work can be trusted in a policy development environment where there > are many competing interests. > > > > > _________________________________________________ > Claire Sibthorpe > Public Sector Consulting > Atos Consulting > 4 Triton Square, Regent's Place, London NW1 3HG, UK > Tel: +44 (0) 77 33312667 > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > Catia_team mailing list > Catia_team(a)catia.ws > http://catia.eyecon.co.za/mailman/listinfo/catia_team >

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Fw: [Catia_team] Multi-stakeholder engagement in Africa - the CATIAexperience
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

Hi all FYI ----- Original Message ----- From: "Claire Sibthorpe" <csibthorpe(a)usa.net> To: "Lists: Catia_team" <Catia_team(a)catia.ws> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 1:27 PM Subject: [Catia_team] Multi-stakeholder engagement in Africa - the CATIAexperience > > Multi-stakeholder engagement in Africa > - the CATIA experience > > October, 2006 > > Media release > > For the past three years the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa programme > (CATIA) has worked towards strengthening the context for the vibrant > adoption and use of ICTs in Africa. The programme has been set up with > nine > components, each with its particular advocacy aim, in countries as diverse > as Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal. > > CATIA has shown that one of the most effective ways to have an impact on > the ICT policy landscape in Africa is by collaborating in > multi-stakeholder > processes, where experiences, perspectives and resources can be shared, > and > a common agenda shaped. > > The programme's experiences have been documented in an article entitled > Breaking new ground towards each other, which can be downloaded off the > CATIA website (www.catia.ws) > > Some of the key findings of the article are: > > * While the multi-stakeholder approach to ICT policy development was > unusual a few years ago, many new success stories in policy engagement in > Africa are the result of collaborating across the sectors; > * Participants consider the multi-stakeholder approach an important > nation-building process that unlocks a country's expertise and resources; > * Multi-stakeholder networks increase the credibility of an advocacy > drive; > * They also tend to make policy processes more transparent, > particularly if the media is one of the stakeholders; > * Multi-stakeholder networks are dynamic, and their make-up depends on > the context. While collaborations between civil society, private sector > and > the media have proved successful, other stakeholders in policy development > processes have included academics, the government, global agencies such as > the United Nations, and policy-makers and regulators; > * The interests of the different stakeholders needs to be managed and > a common agenda forged that all stakeholders are comfortable with. > Processes > need to be put in place to ensure that all perspectives are appreciated; > * Sometimes advocacy objectives need to be aligned with government > strategies to make the advocacy goals more palatable for politicians; > * While stakeholder buy-in into an advocacy initiative is important, > this should not come at any cost. Values and principles, such as > accountability and transparency, need to be preserved and sometimes > defended. > > > _________________________________________________ > Claire Sibthorpe > Public Sector Consulting > Atos Consulting > 4 Triton Square, Regent's Place, London NW1 3HG, UK > Tel: +44 (0) 77 33312667 > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > Catia_team mailing list > Catia_team(a)catia.ws > http://catia.eyecon.co.za/mailman/listinfo/catia_team >

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Re: [Kictanet] Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum?
by Eric Osiakwan 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

Loud Applause, Vincent ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: <alice(a)apc.org> Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:30:23 +0300 >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Vincent Waiswa Bagiire" <vincent(a)cipesa.org> >To: "Africa ICT Policy Forum" <africtic(a)dgroups.org> > > >> Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum? >> >> The Internet Government Forum (IGF) convenes in Athens at the end of >> October (next week) to chart a way forward for making the running of the >> Internet more inclusive, and more democratic. Several key issues of >> concern for various governments and members of the Internet community >> worldwide were amply articulated in the run-up to the World Summits on the >> Information Society (WSIS) a process that has continued ahead of the >> IGF. Simply put, these issues revolve around enabling control of the >> Internet and its technical arms to be decentralised from ICANN and its >> few chosen agents, increasing security of the Internet, having >> international oversight over the Internet, among others. >> >> Africa stands to be a great beneficiary of the Internet, in areas ranging >> from communication to education, health to trade, and governance to >> knowledge creation. The case of how Africa embraced the mobile phone when >> conditions were created for more players to come in, and when technology >> allowed connecting thousands of people at lower costs, could be a learning >> example. Africa has got the highest growth rate of mobile phone >> connections in the world, and the mobile phone has become the centre of >> the continents connectivity successes. But Africa has also been >> registering high bandwidth consumption rates. According to the African >> Internet Service Providers Association, bandwidth demand in Africa rose by >> 19% in 2001, 28% in 2002, and 37% in 2003. This high growth rate comes >> against the background of very high bandwidth prices in Africa - which are >> several times higher than in Europe, America, and even Asia and the >> acute shortage of Internet infrastructure in most of Africa. >> As far as Internet usage is concerned, Africa is doing pretty badly. The >> ITU World Telecom/ ICT Development Report 2006 says while in a number of >> countries more than 50% of the population is using the Internet, an >> average of 2.6 percent of Africans are online. This compares miserably >> with the Americas (28.2%), Europe (31.1%), and Asia (8.1%). In the >> broadband sector, Africas show is even gloomier, as it has just 0.1% of >> the worlds connections. Comparatively, in the mobile phone sector the >> continent boasts 4% of global totals. The continent is not doing any >> superbly in terms of ownership of personal computers, the main medium on >> which the Internet is run. According to the Information Economy Report >> 2005 of the UN Conference on Trade and Investment, while the Republic of >> Korea in 2003 had 26.7 m PCs, the whole of Africa had 11.5 m PCs. Clearly, >> too few Africans are using the Internet at the moment, and this needs to >> be addressed for the continent to harvest benefits from the Internet. >> The question to ask then is, why are so few Africans using the Internet? >> And the answer to this question should provide the pointer to what needs >> to be done for more Africans to be brought into cyberspace. Are issues >> related to Internet Governance the main hindrance to Africans usage of >> the Internet? The answer is a plain no. Africans are not using the >> Internet because the technology deployed tends to be expensive, often the >> licensing procedures for Internet Service provision are expensive and >> cumbersome, ISPs charge exorbitantly for their services, monopoly >> providers do not give little attention to improving affordability, the >> content on the Internet is often irrelevant or not in a language many >> Africans understand, governments are rarely acting proactively and smartly >> to enable the poor and remote parts of their countries to have >> connectivity. Now those are the issues that need to be at the top of the >> agenda for those promoting Internet usage in Africa. Those are issues that >> should be addressed by an envisaged Internet Development Forum (ADF). >> >> As it is, African countries have been working towards developing a common >> position on the issues they will be addressing at the IGF in Athens. Among >> these are the need for security of the Internet, freedom of expression, >> multilingualism and local content on the Internet, Internet >> infrastructure, and Intellectual Property Rights. Reining in SPAM or >> unsolicited mail mainly used for commercial promotion, social or political >> activism, the need for cyber laws, and need for international management >> of the internet are the other issues African delegates will be >> passionately addressing themselves to. They say management of the Internet >> should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full >> involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and >> international organisations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of >> resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure >> functioning of the Internet. >> >> Who controls the Internet has not hindered vast number of Asians and >> Europeans from using the Internet. And it has not been the key hinderance >> to Africa use of the Internet. So Africa must lay its emphasis elsewhere: >> the emphasis should be on improving connectivity (and this connectivity >> should be low-cost, including wireless and VSAT), giving more Africans to >> know-how of using the internet, and generating content that is relevant to >> Africans, and easy for them to access and use. >> >> At Athens, African delegates are likely to strongly express their concern >> about Internet naming and addressing. In this light, they are likely to >> talk about the need for a dotAfrica as the continental Top-Level Domain >> name. The African Networks Operators Group (AfNOG) is spearheading the >> building of a dotAfrica, purportedly to attend to African interests. AfNOG >> argues that it is important to have a dotAfrica to help Africa get its >> recognition as an entity with a high stake in Internet Governance. This >> proposed dotAfrica would target 100,000 organisations under the >> name.Africa or nom.Africa (for Francophone Africa). Many proponents of >> dotAfrica tend to justify its need by arguing that since regions like Asia >> and the European Union have adopted the idea of having dotAsia and dotEU, >> it would also be good for Africa to adopt dotAfrica. They also point out >> that dotAfrica would help Africa to market itself in the area of >> innovation. But some critics feel the clamour for dotAfrica appears to >> merely be a matter of emulating what the Asians and Europeans are doing, >> or engendering African pride, and will not translate into cheaper >> connectivity and accessibility of the Internet on the continent. >> >> The Athens IGF, which is providing the basis for Africans to define their >> priorities as far as the Internet is concerned, was a blueprint for global >> Internet governance. As such its concerns are not targeted at Africa; >> instead they tend to reflect the interests and concerns of the vast >> majority of users mainly outside of America the Internet as a democratic >> and inclusive forum whose management is not monopolised by the Americans >> and those they handpick. It can hence be argued that the core spirit of >> the IGF is therefore not necessarily about making more people use this >> medium, because this is not exactly at the top of the list of priorities >> for concerned parties in Europe and much of Asia, who in any case have had >> a louder and more enlightened voice in Internet governance discourse. >> Back in Tunis in November 2005 at the World Summit on the Information >> Society, the Tunis Agenda adopted by heads of state called for development >> in the broader Internet governance arrangements to include international >> interconnection costs, capacity building and technology/know-how transfer. >> It called for realisation of multilingualism on the Internet, development >> of software that is easy to localise and enables users to choose >> appropriate solutions from different software models including >> open-source, free and proprietary software. Those are some of the great >> pronouncements made at Tunis, which could help develop Internet usage in >> Africa, but which few Africans are articulating. >> Africa has its humongous work to do in the area of content, since content >> drives access to new technologies and vice versa. But the development of >> content cannot be achieved without empowering people and organisations in >> Africa, and enabling them to develop and disseminate their content, and to >> use globally available information resources for their day-to-day >> challenges. The majority of the African population lives in rural areas >> and depends on local content. Specific attention should therefore be paid >> to the advancement of indigenous content including its sharing and >> localisation. >> >> And low-cost technologies like Wi-Fi and VSAT must be adopted to play a >> leading role in Africas Internet development. A good example of how to go >> about this is provided by Knysna municipality in South Africa, which is >> touted as the first completely Wi-Fi covered town in Africa. The >> municipality awarded a tender to build a wireless local-loop access and >> transit infrastructure to cover its entire jurisdiction. Outdoor hotspots >> are installed throughout the region, including in informal settlements, >> and the municipality uses the network to provide free basic Internet and >> voice services to the community. And while UniNet, which built the >> network, provides sustainable low-cost commercial internet, VOIP and data >> services to the community, other service providers in the region can >> utilise the network for delivery of services to their clients >> effectively creating the first open access network in South Africa. To the >> users, there are high quality low-cost fixed line telephony and internet, >> access to low cost VOIP and data services, free local calls (on-net), free >> basic internet services in libraries and on all hotspots. If such >> innovative policies and actions as informed the Knysna connectivity >> project are replicated across municipalities and nations in Africa, the >> continent could potentially witness an Internet boom in a couple of years. >> >> In a nutshell, Africa needs to be concerned about developing Internet >> usage first, rather than dwelling on who governs the Internet and how. >> Africa needs low cost equipment, affordable services and applications, a >> better quality and greater numbers of ICT graduates, accessibility of the >> Internet on mobile phones, cheaper bandwidth including through fibre >> optics, eradication of monopolies and duopolies in Internet service >> provision. Africa also needs government subsidies to extend Internet >> access to all communities; it needs free and open source software that can >> support e-governance, education and health; and it needs to attract >> investment in ICT activities like business process outsourcing. The way >> the Internet is governed now allows for all these; the way most African >> governments are positioned now and planning on putting their issues >> forward at Athens, doesnt quite allow it. >> >> Best regards, >> Vincent >> >> -- >> Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, >> Director, CIPESA >> Plot 30, Bukoto Street, P.O. Box 26970 Kampala >> Tel: 256-41-533057 >> Fax: 256-41-533054 >> Cell: 256-77-702256 or 256-71-702256 >> Email: vincent(a)cipesa.org >> www.cipesa.org >> >> >> >> >> Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, ICCO, IICD, >> OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank >> --- You are currently subscribed to africtic as: alice(a)apc.org >> To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-africtic-617601R(a)dgroups.org > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ kictanet/eric%40afrispa.org > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum?
by alice＠apc.org 24 Oct '06

24 Oct '06

----- Original Message ----- From: "Vincent Waiswa Bagiire" <vincent(a)cipesa.org> To: "Africa ICT Policy Forum" <africtic(a)dgroups.org> > Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum? > > The Internet Government Forum (IGF) convenes in Athens at the end of > October (next week) to chart a way forward for making the running of the > Internet more inclusive, and more democratic. Several key issues of > concern for various governments and members of the Internet community > worldwide were amply articulated in the run-up to the World Summits on the > Information Society (WSIS) – a process that has continued ahead of the > IGF. Simply put, these issues revolve around enabling control of the > ‘Internet’ and its technical arms to be decentralised from ICANN and its > few chosen agents, increasing security of the Internet, having > international oversight over the Internet, among others. > > Africa stands to be a great beneficiary of the Internet, in areas ranging > from communication to education, health to trade, and governance to > knowledge creation. The case of how Africa embraced the mobile phone when > conditions were created for more players to come in, and when technology > allowed connecting thousands of people at lower costs, could be a learning > example. Africa has got the highest growth rate of mobile phone > connections in the world, and the mobile phone has become the centre of > the continent’s connectivity successes. But Africa has also been > registering high bandwidth consumption rates. According to the African > Internet Service Providers Association, bandwidth demand in Africa rose by > 19% in 2001, 28% in 2002, and 37% in 2003. This high growth rate comes > against the background of very high bandwidth prices in Africa - which are > several times higher than in Europe, America, and even Asia – and the > acute shortage of Internet infrastructure in most of Africa. > As far as Internet usage is concerned, Africa is doing pretty badly. The > ITU World Telecom/ ICT Development Report 2006 says while in a number of > countries more than 50% of the population is using the Internet, an > average of 2.6 percent of Africans are online. This compares miserably > with the Americas (28.2%), Europe (31.1%), and Asia (8.1%). In the > broadband sector, Africa’s show is even gloomier, as it has just 0.1% of > the world’s connections. Comparatively, in the mobile phone sector the > continent boasts 4% of global totals. The continent is not doing any > superbly in terms of ownership of personal computers, the main medium on > which the Internet is run. According to the Information Economy Report > 2005 of the UN Conference on Trade and Investment, while the Republic of > Korea in 2003 had 26.7 m PCs, the whole of Africa had 11.5 m PCs. Clearly, > too few Africans are using the Internet at the moment, and this needs to > be addressed for the continent to harvest benefits from the Internet. > The question to ask then is, why are so few Africans using the Internet? > And the answer to this question should provide the pointer to what needs > to be done for more Africans to be brought into cyberspace. Are issues > related to Internet Governance the main hindrance to African’s usage of > the Internet? The answer is a plain no. Africans are not using the > Internet because the technology deployed tends to be expensive, often the > licensing procedures for Internet Service provision are expensive and > cumbersome, ISPs charge exorbitantly for their services, monopoly > providers do not give little attention to improving affordability, the > content on the Internet is often irrelevant or not in a language many > Africans understand, governments are rarely acting proactively and smartly > to enable the poor and remote parts of their countries to have > connectivity. Now those are the issues that need to be at the top of the > agenda for those promoting Internet usage in Africa. Those are issues that > should be addressed by an envisaged ‘Internet Development Forum’ (ADF). > > As it is, African countries have been working towards developing a common > position on the issues they will be addressing at the IGF in Athens. Among > these are the need for security of the Internet, freedom of expression, > multilingualism and local content on the Internet, Internet > infrastructure, and Intellectual Property Rights. Reining in SPAM or > unsolicited mail mainly used for commercial promotion, social or political > activism, the need for cyber laws, and need for “international” management > of the internet are the other issues African delegates will be > passionately addressing themselves to. They say management of the Internet > should be “multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full > involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and > international organisations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of > resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure > functioning of the Internet.” > > Who controls the Internet has not hindered vast number of Asians and > Europeans from using the Internet. And it has not been the key hinderance > to Africa’ use of the Internet. So Africa must lay its emphasis elsewhere: > the emphasis should be on improving connectivity (and this connectivity > should be low-cost, including wireless and VSAT), giving more Africans to > know-how of using the internet, and generating content that is relevant to > Africans, and easy for them to access and use. > > At Athens, African delegates are likely to strongly express their concern > about Internet naming and addressing. In this light, they are likely to > talk about the need for a dotAfrica as the continental Top-Level Domain > name. The African Networks Operators Group (AfNOG) is spearheading the > building of a dotAfrica, purportedly to attend to African interests. AfNOG > argues that it is important to have a dotAfrica to help Africa get its > recognition as an entity with a high stake in Internet Governance. This > proposed dotAfrica would target 100,000 organisations under the > name.Africa or nom.Africa (for Francophone Africa). Many proponents of > dotAfrica tend to justify its need by arguing that since regions like Asia > and the European Union have adopted the idea of having dotAsia and dotEU, > it would also be good for Africa to adopt dotAfrica. They also point out > that dotAfrica would help Africa to market itself in the area of > innovation. But some critics feel the clamour for dotAfrica appears to > merely be a matter of emulating what the Asians and Europeans are doing, > or engendering ‘African pride’, and will not translate into cheaper > connectivity and accessibility of the Internet on the continent. > > The Athens IGF, which is providing the basis for Africans to define their > priorities as far as the Internet is concerned, was a blueprint for global > Internet governance. As such its concerns are not targeted at Africa; > instead they tend to reflect the interests and concerns of the vast > majority of users mainly outside of America – the Internet as a democratic > and inclusive forum whose management is not monopolised by the Americans > and those they handpick. It can hence be argued that the core spirit of > the IGF is therefore not necessarily about making more people use this > medium, because this is not exactly at the top of the list of priorities > for concerned parties in Europe and much of Asia, who in any case have had > a louder and more enlightened voice in Internet governance discourse. > Back in Tunis in November 2005 at the World Summit on the Information > Society, the Tunis Agenda adopted by heads of state called for development > in the broader Internet governance arrangements to include international > interconnection costs, capacity building and technology/know-how transfer. > It called for realisation of multilingualism on the Internet, development > of software that is easy to localise and enables users to choose > appropriate solutions from different software models including > open-source, free and proprietary software. Those are some of the great > pronouncements made at Tunis, which could help develop Internet usage in > Africa, but which few Africans are articulating. > Africa has its humongous work to do in the area of content, since content > drives access to new technologies and vice versa. But the development of > content cannot be achieved without empowering people and organisations in > Africa, and enabling them to develop and disseminate their content, and to > use globally available information resources for their day-to-day > challenges. The majority of the African population lives in rural areas > and depends on local content. Specific attention should therefore be paid > to the advancement of indigenous content including its sharing and > localisation. > > And low-cost technologies like Wi-Fi and VSAT must be adopted to play a > leading role in Africa’s Internet development. A good example of how to go > about this is provided by Knysna municipality in South Africa, which is > touted as “the first completely Wi-Fi covered town in Africa”. The > municipality awarded a tender to build a wireless local-loop access and > transit infrastructure to cover its entire jurisdiction. Outdoor hotspots > are installed throughout the region, including in informal settlements, > and the municipality uses the network to provide free basic Internet and > voice services to the community. And while UniNet, which built the > network, provides sustainable low-cost commercial internet, VOIP and data > services to the community, other service providers in the region can > utilise the network for delivery of services to their clients – > effectively creating the first open access network in South Africa. To the > users, there are high quality low-cost fixed line telephony and internet, > access to low cost VOIP and data services, free local calls (on-net), free > basic internet services in libraries and on all hotspots. If such > innovative policies and actions as informed the Knysna connectivity > project are replicated across municipalities and nations in Africa, the > continent could potentially witness an Internet boom in a couple of years. > > In a nutshell, Africa needs to be concerned about developing Internet > usage first, rather than dwelling on who governs the Internet and how. > Africa needs low cost equipment, affordable services and applications, a > better quality and greater numbers of ICT graduates, accessibility of the > Internet on mobile phones, cheaper bandwidth including through fibre > optics, eradication of monopolies and duopolies in Internet service > provision. Africa also needs government subsidies to extend Internet > access to all communities; it needs free and open source software that can > support e-governance, education and health; and it needs to attract > investment in ICT activities like business process outsourcing. The way > the Internet is governed now allows for all these; the way most African > governments are positioned now and planning on putting their issues > forward at Athens, doesn’t quite allow it. > > Best regards, > Vincent > > -- > Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, > Director, CIPESA > Plot 30, Bukoto Street, P.O. Box 26970 Kampala > Tel: 256-41-533057 > Fax: 256-41-533054 > Cell: 256-77-702256 or 256-71-702256 > Email: vincent(a)cipesa.org > www.cipesa.org > > > > > Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, ICCO, IICD, > OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank > --- You are currently subscribed to africtic as: alice(a)apc.org > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-africtic-617601R(a)dgroups.org

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Online ICT Bill Discussions Report
by John Walubengo 17 Oct '06

17 Oct '06

just in case you are interested in what transpired during the above eWorkshop... walu. nb: apologies for cross-posting. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: [Spam!] Re: [Kictanet] Fwd: RE: ECM162473 - My Order
by Eric Osiakwan 17 Oct '06

17 Oct '06

I support the idea from Dr. Nedmo and this is one of the positive actions that KICTANET should take which should have all the representation like TESPOK, Academia and all the constituencies to go see the AG. Eric here >bitange(a)jambo.co.ke wrote: > >Dear Walubengo, >The Ministry finalized the ICT Bill and sent it to the AG. I have made >several calls to AG offices trying to push it forward to Parliament. >Perharps we need an industry delegation to the AG seeking his intervention >to push it to Parliament. I too need it urgently as there are some laws >that would help move our sector forward. > > >Regards > > >Ndemo. > > > >> Tried to buy a book through the Internet (using my VISA >> INT'Nl credit card) only to be told several days later that >> apparently this reputable Online bookshop does NOT do >> eCommerce with KENYA. (ref email below) >> >> No reasons given but I can bet it has something to do with >> lack of e-Legislations...just wondering how far we (Kenya) >> is from discussing and eventually passing their ICT Bill >> (which contains eCommerce clauses)... >> >> Is the PS (Min of Info&Comm) in a position to kindly favour >> us with a roadmap/timeline? >> >> walu. >> >> >> --- "Edwards, Pat" >wrote: >> >>> From: "Edwards, Pat" > >>> To: "'jwalu(a)yahoo.com'" >>> Subject: RE: ECM162473 - My Order >>> Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:47:15 +0100 >>> >>> >>> Hello >>> >>> I am sorry but we only supply to your country if we have >>> received >>> pre-payment via money order, if you wish to make these >>> arrangements please >>> let me know >>> >>> Kind regards >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: MyAccount(a)PearsonEducationBooks.com >>> [mailto:MyAccount@PearsonEducationBooks.com] >>> Sent: 09 October 2006 07:05 >>> To: PearsonEdEMA, ECOMM CS >>> Subject: ECM162473 - My Order >>> >>> >>> Customer Email Address: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >>> >>> Plse let me know how far my book is from reaching >>> Nairobi. Do you have an >>> online tracking system similar to the one used by courier >>> services (FedEX, >>> DHL, etc) which shows the stages/destinations the book >>> has travelled so >>> far? >>> >>> Also, I need to know if I could have the password to the >>> internet >>> resources so that I can start looking at the online >>> material as I await >>> the book. >>> >>> walu. >>> >>> >>> >> **************************************************************************** >>> This email may contain confidential material. >>> If you were not an intended recipient, >>> please notify the sender and delete all copies. >>> We may monitor email to and from our network. >>> >>> >> **************************************************************************** >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> __________________________________________________ >> Do You Yahoo!? >> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >> http://mail.yahoo.com >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> > > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ kictanet/andrew.limo%40yahoo.com > > > >--------------------------------- >How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messengers low PC-to-Phone call rates. > > > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://afrispa.skybuilders.com/users/Eric/blog.html Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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Fwd: eLA 2007
by John Walubengo 17 Oct '06

17 Oct '06

in case you didn't get this one... walu. --- LM <mleonardo(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 05:47:18 -0700 (PDT) > From: LM <mleonardo(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: eLA 2007 > To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > > Walu, > Kindly circulate in KIPList. This promises to be very > big indeed. > > L > > > > eLA 2007 - The Conference > Meeting the networking needs of the Pan-African > eLearning and distance education sector, the annual > eLearning Africa conference is the key networking venue > for practitioners and professionals from Africa and all > over the world. > > Main Facts: > eLA is the largest gathering of eLearning and distance > education professionals in Africa , enabling participants > to develop multinational and cross-industry contacts and > partnerships, as well as to enhance their knowledge, > expertise, and abilities. The 2006 event attracted 832 > participants from 80 countries representing all > continents, with 70% coming from Africa, making it Africa > s largest eLearning conference. Last years gathering > featured the work of more than 230 speakers from 46 > countries, addressing all forms of technology-enhanced > learning and including a rich mix of themes, topics and a > variety of session formats. Delegates are high-level > decision makers and practitioners from education, > business, and government - the three key areas driving > eLearning adoption and innovation. > The conference is held in English and French. It > includes plenary sessions with world-class experts, > smaller presentation and special focus sessions, > practical demonstrations and debates on specific topics, > as well as various informal networking opportunities > where practitioners share their experiences, ideas, new > information and perspectives. An exhibition and > demonstration area accompany the programme, where leading > international eLearning manufacturers, suppliers and > service providers present their latest products and > services. Participants evaluated the exhibition as a > critical meeting point for professional interaction > within the conference. A full-day program of workshops > conducted by leading eLearning practitioners precedes the > event. These small, intensive sessions offer attendees a > unique opportunity to fine-tune their skills and acquire > new ones. A number of special events take place alongside > the conference, such as product launches, special > interest group > get-togethers, sponsored workshops, best practice > showcases, and meetings. > > New features at eLA 2007: eLA 2007 will also have a > number of exciting features that extend the scope and > outreach of the conference, adding value for both > presenters and attendees: > > A high-level policy maker and industry leader summit > entitled Accelerating the Building of Infrastructures > and Capacities for African Educational Systems > The African TVET Summit Access and Inclusion for TVET > in Africa through New ICT-based Solutions > A convention of major donors and development agencies > focusing on ICT-Enhanced Education and Training in > Development Cooperation > Two break-out workshops, one in Kisumu at Lake Victoria > and one in Mombassa on the Indian Ocean > http://www.elearning-africa.com/ > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small > Business. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Fw: [Kictanet] Fwd: RE: ECM162473 - My Order
by alice＠apc.org 17 Oct '06

17 Oct '06

----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph Mucheru" <mucheru(a)wananchi.com > Do we have a copy of what was forwarded to the AG? It is important to know > what we are pushing :-) > > -- > Joseph Mucheru > Chief Executive > mucheru(a)wananchi.com > > >> From: <alice(a)apc.org> >> Organization: Association for Progressive Communications (APC) >> Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:35:22 +0300 >> To: Joseph Mucheru <mucheru(a)wananchi.com>, "Brian Longwe (E-mail)" >> <brian(a)pure-id.com>, vkyalo <vkyalo(a)kenet.or.ke>, >> "<mureithi@Summitstrategies. >> Co. Ke>" , John Walubengo <jwalubengo(a)kcct.ac.ke>, Bill Kagai >> <billkagai(a)gmail.com>, Marcel Werner <mwerner(a)archway-productions.com>, >> Kevit >> Desai <kevit(a)centurionsystemsltd.com> >> Cc: Judy kimiti <jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk>, <evelyneofwona(a)yahoo.com> >> Subject: Fw: [Kictanet] Fwd: RE: ECM162473 - My Order >> >> Hi all >> >> We should act on the suggestions by the PS re: industry delegation to >> the Ag, can we organise this? >> best >> alice >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >> To: <alice(a)apc.org> >> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2006 5:22 PM >> Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Fwd: RE: ECM162473 - My Order >> >> >>> >>> Dear Walubengo, >>> The Ministry finalized the ICT Bill and sent it to the AG. I have made >>> several calls to AG offices trying to push it forward to Parliament. >>> Perharps we need an industry delegation to the AG seeking his >>> intervention >>> to push it to Parliament. I too need it urgently as there are some laws >>> that would help move our sector forward. >>> >>> >>> Regards >>> >>> >>> Ndemo. >>> >>> >>> >>>> Tried to buy a book through the Internet (using my VISA >>>> INT'Nl credit card) only to be told several days later that >>>> apparently this reputable Online bookshop does NOT do >>>> eCommerce with KENYA. (ref email below) >>>> >>>> No reasons given but I can bet it has something to do with >>>> lack of e-Legislations...just wondering how far we (Kenya) >>>> is from discussing and eventually passing their ICT Bill >>>> (which contains eCommerce clauses)... >>>> >>>> Is the PS (Min of Info&Comm) in a position to kindly favour >>>> us with a roadmap/timeline? >>>> >>>> walu. >>>> >>>> >>>> --- "Edwards, Pat" <Pat.Edwards(a)pearson.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> From: "Edwards, Pat" <Pat.Edwards(a)pearson.com> >>>>> To: "'jwalu(a)yahoo.com'" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> >>>>> Subject: RE: ECM162473 - My Order >>>>> Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:47:15 +0100 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Hello >>>>> >>>>> I am sorry but we only supply to your country if we have >>>>> received >>>>> pre-payment via money order, if you wish to make these >>>>> arrangements please >>>>> let me know >>>>> >>>>> Kind regards >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: MyAccount(a)PearsonEducationBooks.com >>>>> [mailto:MyAccount@PearsonEducationBooks.com] >>>>> Sent: 09 October 2006 07:05 >>>>> To: PearsonEdEMA, ECOMM CS >>>>> Subject: ECM162473 - My Order >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Customer Email Address: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >>>>> >>>>> Plse let me know how far my book is from reaching >>>>> Nairobi. Do you have an >>>>> online tracking system similar to the one used by courier >>>>> services (FedEX, >>>>> DHL, etc) which shows the stages/destinations the book >>>>> has travelled so >>>>> far? >>>>> >>>>> Also, I need to know if I could have the password to the >>>>> internet >>>>> resources so that I can start looking at the online >>>>> material as I await >>>>> the book. >>>>> >>>>> walu. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> **************************************************************************** >>>>> This email may contain confidential material. >>>>> If you were not an intended recipient, >>>>> please notify the sender and delete all copies. >>>>> We may monitor email to and from our network. >>>>> >>>>> >>>> **************************************************************************** >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> __________________________________________________ >>>> Do You Yahoo!? >>>> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >>>> http://mail.yahoo.com >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> kictanet mailing list >>>> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>> >>>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org >> >

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"Take Back The Tech!" - an online campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.
by alice＠apc.org 16 Oct '06

16 Oct '06

TAKE BACK THE TECH! Hello everyone, We need your help! APC WNSP is initiating "Take Back The Tech!" - an online campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. We've been sounding this off for awhile, but now we are ready to make it happen. And your input is absolutely critical for this campaign to take off. The campaign is in great need of content and ideas. Whatever you have experienced, thought about or know will inject the life and matter of the campaign, so please do read on :) *What is the campaign about?* ============================= It is simply a call for every person who uses online communications (ICTs), e.g. for chatting, emailing, blogging, doing websites or developing tools, to use ICTs for activism against VAW (violence against women) for 16 days. Primarily, we are asking women and grrls to "Take Back The Tech!" But you don't have to be female to disagree with violence faced by women and be part of the campaign to transform gender relations. Unequal power relations lie at the heart of VAW, and this is apparent from the streets to online spaces. So we're now saying technology should be used for equality, not to perpetuate violence. The question is, how? This is where you come in with what you know and come up with answers. *What can you do?* ================== Right now, we are building the site for this campaign to happen. A working space has been created to list out the different things that are needed, and you will definitely be able to put stuff you know into it. Some examples are: . Writing "How To" guides, like how to clear your cache, how to make sure your email communications are secure etc. . Submit online tools and applications that you came across that might be handy on this issue . Share your story, or something you know happened. E.g. someone who had been cyber-stalked and what she did, the number of unwanted porn spam you get everyday, or a brilliant and creative initiative that works to end VAW online, etc. . Translate resources and article into your local language. . Create icons, images and graphics . Suggest ideas on what can be done for the 16 Days. e.g. change your IM status message for 16 days, or email signature, or googlebombing. . Think of people or organisations that you know who would like to take up this campaign on their website etc . Offline things that could happen (uhm. stencil revolution ;)) . Anything else you think is missing! *What Next?* ============ Just go to the working space and register as a user. Then check out the different sections and what is needed for that. Put in what you know, your ideas and your thoughts! 1. Go to: http://www.takebackthetech.net/wiki/tiki-index.php 2. Click on "register" (right hand bar, under "Login" 3. Fill in your information, then click on "register". 4. Check your email, and click on the link. 5. You are now registered and can submit content on any of the sections! 6. Tell someone you know that might be keen to take this on, and have knowledge, ideas and information that they would like to share. All the stuff here will be part of the building block for the campaign site, which together, we'll get to as many ICTs users as we know to "Take Back The Tech!" for 16 Days :) *More information*: ============== You can know more about the campaign from the site above. Or if you have more specific questions, just write an email to jac(a)apcwomen.org. Looking forward to meeting you at the working space, and having you as part of the campaign!

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