Media in Africa conference paper

This page is meant to brainstorm and develop ideas for a Wikimedia-related paper to be presented at "The Media and Social Change in Africa" conference in London in March 2006. (See [1] for info and also notice on w:Wikipedia:Africa-related_regional_notice_board.)

From CfP: "The deadline for abstracts is 15th February 2006. Those whose papers are accepted will be notified by 28th February 2006. Completed papers (not more than 6000 words) must be e-mailed to us not later than 15th March 2006. Send 200-word abstracts to Winston Mano at: manow at wmin.ac.uk"

Possible topics

• Access to information
  • How to desseminate knowledge, both online as well as offline
• Take-up/participation by schools - (Andy Rabagliati?)
• Creating communities in African languages
  • For example the Wikipedia's in Fulfulde, Swahili, Bambara ...
  • the role of blogs and bloggers networks - there is some level in Kiswahili among Tanzanian bloggers ...
  • which African languages have a chance to become net-relevant? Considering the fact that African upper and middle classes are heavily oriented towards the ex-colonial "international" languages carrying a promise of being "modern" and better life thru brain drain and these are the same with computer access / ownership

Questions

• What is Wikimedia doing to encourage the production and dissemination of knowledge in Africa?
• What Wikimedia communities exist in Africa, and how are they developing? (See African languages)
• How can locally-based communities collaborate with each other? (eg. Swahili-speaking children in, say, UK collaborating with children in Kenya ...)
• ...

Paper outline

please edit and add!

Wikimedia in Africa

• Wikimedia projects in African languages
  • Current state
  • Future possibilities
• Dissemination of knowledge of Wikimedia projects
  • Culture
  • Technology
• Wikimedia projects in "colonial" languages

Wikimedia communities

• Afrikaans Wikipedia
• Swahili Wikipedia
• Bambara, Fulfulde Wikipedia
  • non-existent really

Interested in collaboration on a paper

• Cormaggio
• Guaka
• moyogo
• Anthere
• ...

Interested in attending conference

• Cormaggio
• moyogo
• ...

• Guaka, interested, but far away by then

Relevant links

• Floss conference workshop 1 (Angela, Erik, Andy ...)
• Floss conference workshop 2 (Anthere)
• African languages
• Wikipedia and Africa
• Kasper Souren (Guaka)'s presentation at Wikimania 2005: "Thoughts on the Bambara Wikipedia"
• Florence Devouard (Anthere)'s presentation at Wikimania 2005: "How to get Wikimedia into the Developing World" (slides and video)
• Achal Prabhala's presentation at Wikimania 2005: "Learning materials in South Africa"
• Milton Aineruhanga's presentation at Wikimaia 2005: "Women of Uganda Network" (video)

External links

• BBC story on the declaration of 2006 as "Year of African Languages"

Readings

• World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) (2003) "Shaping information societies for human needs": civil society declaration to the World Summit on the Information Society, WSIS Civil Society Plenary, Geneva, 8th December 2003 [2]