The Open Swahili Localization Project (Kilinux) has just released a free office suite software in Swahili.
12/10/2004
OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE IN SWAHILI
11/24/2004
ONLINE AFRICAN RESEARCH DATABASE
There is an online database of African university dissertations and theses. Find it here.
11/13/2004
11/12/2004
DIGITAL MEDIA AND PUBLISHING
Digital publishing presents african authors with tremendous opportunities. Read more...
HAND-HELD COMPUTERS AND DEMOCRACY IN RWANDA
Hand-held computers are being used in Rwanda to create a national database for voters. Read more...
11/09/2004
ELECTRONIC PRIVACY IN AFRICA
A symposium organised by the Electronic Privacy Information Center on electronic privacy in Africa, will take place in Cape Town, South Africa in December this year. For more information go here.
11/05/2004
DIGITAL SOLIDARITY FUND
Check out this info about the digital solidarity fund. The Inaugural Ceremony of the Digital Solidarity Fund, created during the WSIS of Geneva , will held on November 17 in Geneva, Switzerland.
10/16/2004
E-GOVERNANCE
Check out the 2005 African Governance Report. Go to page 31 for information on electronic government.
10/08/2004
AFRICA'S ICT WOMEN TO MEET IN ARUSHA
ICT and women empowerment is the central theme of a conference co-hosted by World Summit of the Information Society Gender Caucus East Africa Sub-Region, the Tanzanian Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children, AITEC Tanzania, and the Tanzanian Ministry of Communication and Transport. Read the full story here.
10/04/2004
AFRICAN-FOCUSED WEBLOGS
Visit blogafrica, a collection of africa-focused weblogs, and a collaborative effort focused on increasing the number and profile of Africa-focused webloggers.
9/26/2004
MICROSOFT WINDOWS IN KISWAHILI
Kiswahili is to be introduced into Microsoft Windows as part of a global project to increase world usage. Read more...
9/23/2004
e-Government in Kenya
E-Government Kenyan delegation was in Canada recently to explore ways and learn from experiences that would make it possible to implement the e-government strategy.
eLocust
The Electronic Locust Information System (eLocust) is helping Africa in monitoring locust. The system uses a palmtop computer, GPS device, and HF radio equipment, which runs on a car battery.
9/18/2004
ONLINE JOURNALISM COURSE IN KENYA
The Unites States International University in Nairobi, Kenya will be launching one of Africa's first online journalism course this September. Get the full story here.
ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
Pambazuka News is a weekly electronic newsletter covering news, commentary, and analysis, and a range of other resources on human rights and development in Africa. Subscription is free. Pambazuka is published by FAHAMU, which uses information and communication technologies as a tool for social change has a vision of the world where people organise to emancipate themselves from all forms of oppression, recognise their social responsibilities, respect each other’s differences, and realise their full potential. Fahamu means understanding and Pambazuka means dawn in Kiswahili.
9/04/2004
A course in online journalism, thought to be one of its kind in Africa, will be offered at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya this year.
8/24/2004
Health and Information Revolution
There are dramatic changes in the health sector right now as a result of information revolution. On May 12-13, 2004, SATELLIFE, Inc., the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC), Uganda Chartered HealthNet, and Makerere University Faculty of Medicine hosted a successful conference on "Handheld Computers in Africa: Exploring the Promise for the Health Sector" in Entebbe, Uganda. The conference explored the benefits, challenges, and opportunities that handheld technology presents for the health sector in low resource environments and featured plenary addresses, panel and group discussions, and presentations. Please view the conference presentation materials and the final report.
8/22/2004
I am back
I had left the town in a bit of hurry. Now I am back. I will respond shortly to those who wrote me and will start posting regularly.
8/09/2004
Community Telecentres
Another e-book detailing case studies of community technology centres in Africa by Florence Etta and Shiela Parvyn-Wamahiu (CODESRIA/IDRC 2003). The book examines the setting, operations, and effects of community telecentres. It describes the telecentre experiences of a variety of local and often rural communities, exploring the management structures and mechanisms that have been established to support these telecentres. The book provides profiles of telecentre usage and discusses the potential and challenges of setting up and maintaining community telecentres in the context of poor information infrastructure and limited human capacity. It is relevant and useful for researchers, policy- and decision-makers, and development practitioners and professionals with interests or active programs in the area of "ICT for development," particularly those with a focus on universal access and universal-service or public-access centres. It is also very useful reference tool for scholars, students, and academics.
e-Black Studies
eBlack Studies is a project in cyberspace. Its main purpose is to provide information for students and scholars in all academic fields that focus primarily on Africa and the African Diaspora.
Gender and Information Revolution in Africa
You can get a copy of this e-book on gender and ICT revolution in Africa edited by Eva M. Rathgeber and Edith Ofwona Adera. The essays in the book examine the current and potential impact of the ICT explosion in Africa. They focus specifically on gender issues and analyze the extent to which women's needs and preferences are being served. The authors underscore the need for information to be made directly relevant to the needs of rural women, whether in the areas of agriculture, health, microenterprise, or education. They argue that it is not enough for women simply to be passive participants in the development of ICTs in Africa. Women must also be decision-makers and actors in the process of using the new ICTs to accelerate African economic, social, and political development
8/04/2004
Interesting project
This is a very interesting project using ICTs to promote the voice of Tonga people on the Internet. Tonga people live on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. You can also listen to the music of Thomas Mapfumo and his band, The Black Unlimited on the website.
2nd Open Source Software Conference for Africa
The 2nd OSS (open source software) conference for Africa is taking place in South Africa on the 26 and 27 August, 2004. The main objective of the conference is to dispel myths and misunderstandings, which exist about open source software.
8/02/2004
Virtual Goree Island
"Do you remember the days of slavery? How they beat us. And how they worked us so hard. And they used us. 'Til they refuse us. While I remember, please remember."
These words are from one of my favourite songs, Slavery Days, by the grandfather of reggae, Burning Spear (he took his name from the Burning Spear of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of Kenya). In remembrance of slavery and slave trade take a virtual tour of the House of Slaves in the Goree Island, Senegal West Africa.
Information Society Summit in Africa in 2005
The second phase of the world summit on information society will take place in Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa, next year. You can find all the information right here.
7/29/2004
ICT and Civil Society Conference
The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) is organizing a conference on ICT and Civil Society in Africa next year. Find out more.
Free and Open Source Software
If you are interested in knowing a little bit about the free/open source (digital ujamaa) movement in Afrika. Check out this link (and this one, too).
7/27/2004
The Revolution Will be Digitized!
The future landed in Tanzania in 2000 when the government banned a book written by a University lecturer, Mustapha Njozi, Mwembechai Killings and the Political Future of Tanzania. Despite government's intention to keep people in perpetual darkness and limit freedom of opinion and expression, the electronic version of the book is available for everyone. What can the government do? Stop the people from using the Internet? The people will no longer be in line waiting for the government to tell them what and how to think, but online expressing themselves freely and chanting down Babylon!
The Revolution Will be Digitized!
When the Zimbabwean government shut down the country’s only private daily newspaper, The Daily News, on 12 September last year, the Internet became the only place where the state could not extend its claws. Production was forced to stop on 12 September when armed police raided the newspaper's office in Harare. Staff were ordered from the premises and computer equipment was confiscated. The Daily News continues to battle the government of Zimbabwe. Virtually, of course! The newspaper changed its domain name .co.zw to co.za, which technically means that it it is not published in Zimbabwe. Therefore, it is not breaking the law! Find the newspaper here.
7/25/2004
Old rural, African women connecting to the net...
In a few years, an old woman in rural Africa should be able, if all goes according to plan, to connect to the net and communicate with her children in the city. Read the full story.
7/21/2004
Amoako blog
The head of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, K.Y. Amoako, has his own blog.
Jimmy Carter Blogging from Africa
Here is a story about Jimmy Carter blogging form the motherland. Get it here.
7/18/2004
Digital Revolution in Africa captured in a documentary
Afro@Digital is a documentary by a Congolese filmmaker, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, about dramatic changes in Africa brought by new ICTs. Read more....
7/15/2004
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