Steve and Taran have been discussing
a village, in Africa perhaps, where 200 literates are ready to use
computers.
the 'social computer'... *telecenters*.. mobile phonesallowing all
technology to be made available for them to peruse..
I would like to link this discussion to some practical realities that I
have experienced in Nigeria.
Certainly literacy is an issue - but illiteracy in Nigeria is not like
illiteracy here in the UK for example. In the UK, most (not all) of the
people who are illiterate have been taught in their mother tongue and
(in theory at least) have had the opportunity to attend school for many
years. In Nigeria, many people who are now adults only went to school
for a short time, and were only taught to be literate in English - not
in their mother tongue. I keep that thought in mind when the term
illiterate is used. It also contributes to the respect I feel for my
(bi-lingual and multi-lingual) African friends and acquaintances who did
start off in little rural village schools and somehow made it to higher
education and professional qualifications.
It is true that, in the locations that I know, most poor farmers are
illiterate- however there are other people who are illiterate too -
people who are comparatively wealthy and successful. Just because
illiteracy is a huge handicap in our society doesn't mean that literacy
has exactly the same importance in every society.
My knowledge of ancient history is very sketchy - but I have a feeling
that quite a few kings and emperors in ancient times didn't bother with
chores like reading, writing, and book-keeping. They had their various
scribes, secretaries, chancellors and such like to sort it out for them.
I, for one, could do with that kind of a support team to unlock the
chains that keep me by my laptop ;-)
I live in the UK (but this is probably also true of other
industrialised, individualistic, DIY, consumer societies). When we think
of bridging the digital divide we tend to think in terms of getting
equipment to individuals - and if individuals have to access the
equipment themselves, then they obviously need the related skills. But
different societies have different ways of doing things. In Nigeria help
is easily to hand - busy people send others to the cyber cafe to
collect and send their emails - so they don't need to learn to operate
the computers for themselves.
I suggest that in rural communities in Africa we should take a wider
view. I think we should be looking at creating the right interface (and
overlap) between digital information and the local mechanism for
sharing information. What that mechanism is depends on what kind of
information is being shared.
We need to recognise appropriate potential interfaces between digital
information channels (of all kinds) and the information hubs of the
community. The churches and mosques (with their regular weekly
meetings) and other community networking structures provide the local
information infrastructure. The teachers and religious leaders are the
usual interface between the communities and the written word. They are
actively involved in community decision making and hold many positions
of leadership. I believe the best way to develop appropriate digital
technology is to have the patience to find ways to rub minds with the
local information experts.
Pamela McLean
CAWDnet convenor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.cawd.info
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