After Africa

Tanzanian Government's take on the Internet

 

On May 25, 2011 the Tanzanian newspaper Daily News quotes President Kikwete for promising that 'the national fibre-optic network currently under construction is set to cover all districts in the country by June, next year'.

The article goes from praising Microsoft to the benefits of the implementation of the fibre-optic network. For instance, it mentions 'e-learning at different levels of education', and quotes President Kikwete:

'We will from next financial year set aside a budget for the implementation of the Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow (TBT) project in which through ICT a teacher can teach many students in various regions at a time. This will, to a large extent, reduce the problem of teachers' shortage'

Neatly the article adds clear numbers in term of the assumed progress: According to the article the fibre-optic network has reached 19 regions and 59 districts out of Tanzania's 30 regions. Nice numbers for press conferences. However, the style of the article makes me think of territory of microphone holders, and this article, too, leaves me with a strong wish that the reporter had investigated further:

Is it really true that over half of Tanzania's regions by now are covered by the fibre-optic cable?

According to the blog Bora Kujenga Daraja, it hasn't yet reached Njombe in the Southern Highlands, and the map illustrating the progress leaves space for interpretation (for one, it is in Chinese):

It may be relatively easy to monitor the amount of kilometres of fibre-optic cables digged into Tanzanian soil, but what do the numbers actually mean for the 42 million people living in Tanzania? 

Internet is obviously nothing without electricity, computers, money to buy an Internet subscription and the skills to utilize it for meaningful purposes. So, I'd also like to know more about the numbers of people for whom this makes a difference, and what kind of difference it makes practically. 

The government's 'Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow', as mentioned above, may be a part of the answer, but the President's vision of solving the problems in regard of the lack of teachers eventually depend on the answers to the questions above.

Earlier this week the blog Swahili Street noted another relevant perspective of this development by referring to the government's training of the police force to do on-line patroling. Swahili Street also poses questions: 'And what will it mean practically? How does an “online patrol” take place? Where exactly will be patrolled? And who?'

Certainly, the Tanzanian government has embarked on an intensified process of adressing the use of the Internet, and having the President promoting it up front is definitely interesting. One may however hope that media and others interested in the impact of the Internet, freedom of speech and education also will manage to intensify their observance, too.

The illustration was sent to me from a friend in Tanzania, and is cut from last Wednesday's Mwananchi. My Kiswhaili isn't perfect, but I believe the text can be translated to: 'Citizens, your government is now
on Facebook. You have to be on Facebook.' (Please, do correct me if not so).

Africa. In brief

The Beat Festival

Oh, I suddenly miss the way to spend a Sunday in northern Uganda....

On Blogging motivation, Top Key Words, Freud, being stuck in Africa, and living less...

I'm preparing a training session for Danish development NGOs on blogging for this afternoon where part of it is to explain that before starting a blog you should decide on software, succes criteria and aims, plan strategically, and then currently monitor if it works out that way.

That is if you want readers, to keep them or to influence agendas or what not.

I realise that I never planned beforehand in terms of blogging, but rather learnt stuff along the way. Simply because I had little idea of what the potential was. In fact, no idea, when I see what came out of it in the years to come. 

But what's there to monitor if you have no readers? And what's there to blog if you're out of ideas and motivation?

In terms of blogging strategies, aims and plans are worthless without personal drive, passion and motivation to express.

I didn't succeed very well in regards of blogging in 2011. Mainly because I've been lacking personal drive, passion and motivation to express myself.

I did get into Twitter during the past year, which has been cool for getting familiar with the media and community. However, I find it hard to say what I really want in only 140 characters, and turn both fascinated and sceptical at the same time when big men like Paul Kagame and Ian Birrell squeeze Twitter's (and their own) potentials to their maximums.

While I lived in Tanzania some friends would ask: 'Don't you miss cultural stimulation? Like the news on TV, the Sunday paper, theatres and rock concerts they way they operate in Europe?'

I never really did. (There was always Q-Bar). I already knew then, but it just feels more evident now:

Africa gave high, daily doses of motivation to express myself, and I simply haven't found it here.

And to me, not to feel a daily urge to write and take photographs, that is in fact sort of like living less.

This fortunately explains the reason why I have taken time out of Denmark with the intention of spending it in Tanzania from June and onwards.

Can't wait.

PS. I needed an illustration for the training session on how you monitor key words for your blogging. The above illustrates my top key words for 2011. I'm sure Freud would have noted my key words, and said something about the unhealthy thing about being stuck in Africa while actually in Europe.

Haya...

 

Living on the edge

20 Kali Cigarettes

Missing Dar es Salaam (and life among wazungu who smoke kali cigarettes). Rest of (old) story here. 

Distinguish!