Are you a programmer? The Kasumi Project needs your help
Posted on | March 9, 2010 | No Comments |
The Kamusi Project has been an online living and breathing Swahili dictionary for some time now. I have used it numerous times myself. The project is a collaboration of two organizations, the Kamusi Project International (KPI) and Kamusi Project USA (KPUSA), “dedicated to the creation of dictionary and learning resources for African languages.” Lately, the Kamusi Project is working hard to bridge the gap between Swahili localization and today’s continually growing list of technology terms. In other words, this is a project to get behind that has benefits for lots of people on many levels.
Also affiliated with the World Language Documentation Centre, the Kamusi Project needs help from technical individuals. They are in need of programmers to help them update the legacy code used in their website framework into something that allows them to grow. If you know Drupal, Perl, PHP, & MySQL, this is the project for you to volunteer time towards.
As described on their Call for Volunteer Coders:
Read more
Have you heard? Tech incubators growing in Africa
Posted on | March 3, 2010 | No Comments |
In case you haven’t heard, tech is growing across the continent of Africa. And, no, not just the typical innovation hubs of South Africa and Nigeria. Tech is spreading all over the place to varying degrees, the latest being the new iHub in Nairobi that opens this week. Computerworld starts the conversation:
“Availability of affordable bandwidth, growing synergies between IT industry and academia, government policy reforms and emerging opportunities in the IT sector have led to growth of incubation labs outside the orbit of the corporate giants in Africa.
Big companies like Nokia and Google have done extensive work with developers in the region but the growth of smaller labs financed by smaller companies and individuals in Cameroon, Senegal, Kenya, Ivory Coast and Uganda have underlined the opportunities presented by availability of bandwidth.”
More can be found at the original article. Hat-tip goes to Timbuktu Chronicles for the find.
Ecological innovation coming from Factor e Farm = Concepts applicable to Africa
Posted on | March 2, 2010 | No Comments |
I recently discovered the website of Factor e Farm, which started out as a 30-acre soybean field in rural Missouri and is now a bubbling source of ecological innovation. What makes Factor e Farm so unique is that they are completely self-sustaining in every regard, from energy production to drinking water. This project is truly a feat of great engineering on so many levels. I am impressed beyond words.
Why the interest in such an idea? It’s completely applicable to many scenarios on the continent of Africa. While “going green” is a hot buzzword here in the States, it’s serious business in Africa. Energy conservation is not only a way to look cool and lend a hand to the environment, it’s often a necessity in Africa’s oftentimes unreliable infrastructure.
While I know that there are many individuals, nonprofits, and for-profits innovating on this level, and have been for many years, I would venture to say that this will become a trending topic over the coming years in Africa and around the world to a point where its progress is obvious everywhere we look.
Good stuff indeed.
For more info on ecological innovation, be sure to check out the Open Source Ecology blog.
Hey London, your books are needed for Sudan
Posted on | March 1, 2010 | No Comments |
As reported by Roving Bandit, one of my favorite bloggers from Sudan:
“This looks like a great project. There is a container at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London waiting to be filled with academic books for Juba University. Get down there if you have any and you are based in London; the deadline is the end of March.”
There you have it. If you live in London, please head on down there and donate a few books. It’s going towards a great cause and there is not a single reason why we can not meet that need.
Africa Union: We must take ICT seriously
Posted on | February 27, 2010 | No Comments |
“…giving ICT special attention would play an important part in the development agenda of the union.”
–Bingu wa Mutharika, the African Union (AU) chairperson at a recent AU summit themed “Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development”. [Source: ITNewsAfrica.com]
Circumventing Internet Censorship: The Next Frontier for Human Rights Activists
Posted on | February 26, 2010 | No Comments |
By far, one of the more insightful posts I’ve ever read by Ethan Zuckerman: “Internet Freedom: Beyond Circumvention”
I recommend by starting with Secretary Clinton’s speech on Internet freedom before moving on to reading Zuckerman’s blog post. Regardless of your political persuasion, this speech is a powerful one that touches on an issue of increasingly profound importance to human rights advocates: the exercise of political rights (and others) through the Internet. This is something we can all get behind, and should. (The speech gave me goosebumps.)
However, Zuckerman takes it one step further and offers a more comprehensive look into censorship and how we can better approach this topic. He offers some keen insight into the pitfalls of censorship circumvention and asks some potent questions we need to ponder before jumping to conclusions.
Excellent post Zuckerman. This will be a scene we need to watch.
Travel between Uganda and Southern Sudan
Posted on | February 26, 2010 | No Comments |
“I think we better abolish the visa regime and I am going to inform my government so that anybody with a South Sudanese or Ugandan travel document can walk into each other’s country and trade freely.”
….that comes from Otafire, Ugandan Minister of Commerce. [Source: Roving Bandit]
Kiva Pledge Update: Featured Project
Posted on | November 22, 2009 | No Comments |
[This is part of a series of posts that will extend through the entire year of 2009 twice monthly according to my original post "My pledge to Kiva for 2009". To view all of my Kiva projects, take a moment to check out my Kiva lending page.]
In this week’s Kiva Pledge Update I am supporting Tettey, who deals in mobile phones and accessories in Kade, Ghana.
Kiva Pledge Update: Featured Project
Posted on | November 8, 2009 | No Comments |
[This is part of a series of posts that will extend through the entire year of 2009 twice monthly according to my original post "My pledge to Kiva for 2009". To view all of my Kiva projects, take a moment to check out my Kiva lending page.]
In this week’s Kiva Pledge Update I am supporting John Lubowa, who currently rides a boda-boda in Lugazi, Uganda.
In DC this Friday night? Don’t miss this exciting African event!
Posted on | November 4, 2009 | No Comments |
Indego Africa, an innovative entrepreneurial nonprofit organization that helps Rwandan women to become economically self-sufficient, is hosting their 2nd Annual Ibirori Fundraiser to raise awareness of their organization and celebrate Rwandan progress.
Indego Africa is an organization that is truly making a difference in the lives of Rwandan women by helping them to sell their local crafts. Why go to this event? Here’s three great reasons to spend part of your Friday night at the fundraiser:
- Rwandan dancing. If you’ve never seen a great intore show, you don’t know what you’re missing. Come see Amariza N’Amasonga, the best Rwandan dance group in the area!
- Good people, good food and good drinks. Indego Africa events attract interesting people from all age groups, united by the common bond of an interest in the world outside our borders. The $45 ticket price will include traditional Rwandan food and an open bar.
- Raffle Drawing. We’ll be drawing for our raffle grand prize: a trip to Rwanda (or $3000). Already have a raffle ticket? Come see if you’re the lucky winner. If not, you can get one at reduced price when you buy your ticket.
Tickets and more info are can be found at http://www.indegoafrica.org/fundraisers
Come join me in supporting Indego Africa this Friday night at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in Washington, DC.
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