Africa

This is the fourth time I’ve been involved in a digital storytelling workshop, once as a participant and 3 times as a kind of trainer/assistant trainer with Women’sNet. And every single time a kind of magic happens – as Jan says! On day 1 during story circle we listened to each others stories from disability to sexuality to identity (in many forms), to access to land, to notions of “the imposter” and (fascinating) the questioning of feminisms and issues of belonging to this movement or not….. They are powerful. And they are authentic.

Wireless (wi-fi) community networking has become a recent passion of mine particularly here in Africa. The passion lies in reaching the last mile: seeing rural communities be connected to internet using innovative practices through antennae, wireless routers and motivated people. This is even after overcoming harsh conditions of poor reliability to electricity, dust, lightning, illiteracy, hilly terrain and lack of resources. Wireless does not leave the rural out and in fact, has helped to develop skill and astonishing new ideas of reversing the digital divide trend.