Young people are making waves in Web2.0 what about us Adults
September 3rd, 2007 by Chris Kgadima
I was amazed to discover that while African people are still locked in series of discussions about Web 2.0 there is little awareness about positive development about the web2.0 tools. Just when I was busy with my assignment on web.20, a young bright man from Soweto South Africa —who probably escaped the of Bantu Education (poor education system during South Africa ’s apartheid) told me that when engaging on web.20 tools we turn to isolate the role of youth in promoting some tools. For instance some of these youth are well ahead in using some of the web.2.0 techniques such as podcast despite lack of internet access at their homes. With their schools not only a place to access the internet, their participation in web 2.0 tools is something that one should appreciate and start investing at this level to avoid another group people who seem to always cry about things not getting off the ground. Without undermining efforts by fellow Africans, I think some of us should be careful when shouting at government particularly when lobbying certain policies including ICTs.
We should also look at our schools as a foundation to mainstream some of the needs including access to the internet. I do not know in other countries but in most of African schools there seem to be progress because some of us went to the same schools that has prepared until we can today create blogs. So if we need to get things right, for us to have sustainable long term solutions on issues of ICTs we need to identify key structures in our communities that some how forces governments to invest in such policies. As I have said, I think schools are classical examples to achieve this. If I remember very well it was the power of students that brought apartheid government in South Africa to its knees not Nelson Mandela only as it has been wrongly painted by the commercial world. Remember the 1976 Soweto Uprising ! That has brought changes in todays life style in South Africa and the same spirit embraced by todays students is still making waves in Web 2.0 with some them selling livestock from semi -urban areas of South Africa using mobile phone SMS linked with web data. This are the positive moves that demonstrate that while we engage in issues of Web.20fordev we should not undermine the positive energy of our youth. I think another classical examples is www.studentvillage.co.za –this is one of the first African web.20 initiatives that came in before the term it self. Again another project by African youth.
VIVA Web.20fordev! VIVA!
African countries like mine,Tanzania, young people are still facing negative view of the internet from the society, where it is still being regarded that internet is a ponorgraphic thing. also the costs of accessing internet is a dillema.no private devices like computers, private internet connection is also a stumbling block. example of my self being a blogger with no PC, I use an internet cafe where I access internet only one hour per day. this makes difficulty for africans to switch downloading to uploading way of internet aaccess. let me not mention of some rural areas where a computer is a new imaeginable time, villagers when one speaks o a computer one asks if is a new bus, aeroplane or gun.