The internet and human rights advocacy in Africa
Firoze Manji
Firoze Manji is Director, Fahamu - learning
for change, Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA
UK. +44(0)1865-791777 (tel), +44 (0)1865-203009(fax), email: firoze@fahamu.org;
www.fahamu.org
The revolution in information and communications
technologies (ICTs), and in particular the internet, has (potentially)
transformed the way we organize, relate, discuss or debate with each
other, and the way we can exchange, find, retrieve, and disseminate
information - even the way in which information itself is produced.
As with the products of previous technological
revolutions, the technology itself is not 'neutral'. It serves the interests
of those who exercise control. All technological developments have the
potential for either contributing to the emancipation of humankind,
or serving the self-interest of a minority (often with socially destructive
consequences). The extent to which the technology may be used for either
purpose depends both upon the power of those who control it and the
extent to which organized civil society concedes that control or itself
harnesses the technology for the benefit of the majority.
Although less well developed than in the north,
access to the Internet has spread rapidly in Africa. In 1996 only 16
countries had access to the Internet; by 1998, 49 of the 54 countries
were online, with most African capitals having more than one internet
service provider. According to Mike Jensen, the number of computers
permanently connected to the internet extended beyond 10,000 in 1999,
but this probably grossly underestimates the actual numbers, given the
widespread use of .com and .net addresses. It is estimated that there
are probably around four million internet users in Africa - or about
one internet user for every 200 people - compared to a world average
of about one user for every 30 people, and a North American and European
average of about one in every 3 people.1
The constraints of accessing the web
Fahamu started life four years ago with the ambition of providing learning
and information materials via the web. We began by developing some straightforward
training materials on a subject that we knew would have a wide appeal.
We decided to produce a web-based training course on how to write effective
grant proposals.2
It was only when we tested out the material in
the region that we realized the problems faced by those accessing the
materials over the internet. There were three problems: First, limited
bandwidth available made downloading times of web pages very slow and
cumbersome, sometimes taking several minutes to open a text-only web
page. Secondly, the cost of accessing the web was generally prohibitive
for most small organizations (in some cases, people reported charges
as high as $10 per minute). Thirdly, telephone lines were often poor:
for example, it was not unusual to have to dial in at least three times
over the space of half an hour just to view the same web page.
Clearly, these were not conditions that were particularly
conducive to effective learning. Although the newspapers at the time
were full of reports about how the web would soon be accessible to millions
in Africa, we were (and still remain) sceptical about the rate at which
easy and fast access was likely to develop. The question then was, how
do we make materials, with all the advantages of interactivity that
we associate with the web, available to those who have limited access
to the internet? We decided that we would put the material on CDROM.
Our next step was to find out more about the problem
of accessing the internet in the region. In 1998, with the support of
the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), we undertook a
survey of the training needs of human rights organizations in the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) region. We interviewed over a hundred
organizations and visited the offices of more than sixty of them.3
We found that - even in 1998 - email had become almost ubiquitous in
the region. Our survey also indicated that, although many had access
to the web, few understood how the medium could be used effectively
for research and, even when they did, poor connections made the experience
frustrating.
As a result of what we learned through our survey,
we decided to take three initiatives. First, we established the 'Adilisha'
project, whose aim was to develop distance-learning materials designed
to strengthen the campaigning, advocacy and organizational capacity
of human rights organizations. This project is currently developing
CDROM-based learning materials which will accompany distance-learning
courses supervised via email and provided through face-to-face workshops.
The courses we are developing include: fact finding and investigation
methods, monitoring and reporting skills, advocacy, lobbying and campaigning
skills, leadership and management, financial management, fundraising,
training of trainers, and using the internet for advocacy and research.
Most of these CDROMs will become available within the next six months.4
Our second initiative was to support the establishment
of Kabissa to provide free web and email hosting for African non-profit
organizations. By renting space on a 'virtual server', we provided space
on the internet for those who could not afford to obtain such a service
locally. The server also provided them with free access to a range of
internet-based services including domain name registration, mailing
list server, file transfer protocol (ftp), information services, shareware
and other free software. Within a year, Kabissa had more than 300 members.
Thirdly, we decided that we needed to find a way
to research and collate information on social justice, advocacy and
development in a systematic manner, and to disseminate this information
via email. Our goal was to find a way in which the human rights and
advocacy community in the region could keep up to date with the wealth
of information available and circulating on the internet, as well as
to provide a platform that could be used by this community to share
information and ideas. Thus was born 'Fahamu-News', which soon became
the 'Kabissa-Fahamu Newsletter', and eventually 'Pambazuka News' (produced
in collaboration with Kabissa and SANGONeT).
Pambazuka News
At the beginning of December 2000 we launched the first issue of 'Kabissa-Fahamu
Newsletter' with approximately 700 subscribers. Little did we realize
what we were about to unleash. The number of subscribers began to increase
exponentially. By August 2001 we had more than 6000 subscribers, the
majority of whom were in Africa. At the time of writing there are nearly
8000 subscribers.5
Our aim was to provide comprehensive coverage,
in summary form, of the major web site and information sources related
to conflict, human rights, and development. Each week we included an
editorial commenting on critical issues of the day. We sought to make
the web available in digest form, making it easier for people to keep
up with developments and to find information in a systematic way.
Whatever the reasons for the growth in popularity
of the newsletter, it is striking that we have been able to set up,
at relatively little cost, an information service that reaches so many
people in Africa. In the past, gaining access to 8000 subscribers would
have meant having access to substantial resources or alliances with
media magnates. Perhaps the most important philosophy behind the success
of the newsletter has been the idea that, if people can't get to the
web, we must bring the web to them. This includes not just those who
are unable to access the web because of problems with connections, but
also those who don't have time in their busy lives to search for information
that we provide so regularly.
We think that this may need to be taken further.
For many years yet, the 'digital divide' is going to be a feature of
our lives and of our continent. Perhaps like no other technology to
date, information and communications technologies have the capacity
to amplify social differentiation, expanding the divide between those
who have and those who do not. But that will remain the case only in
so far as we allow it.
Notes
1. See www3.sn.apc.org
and accompanying paper by Mike Jensen
2. Eventually produced as a CDROM (1998), 'Proposals
that make a difference: how to write effective grant proposals'. Oxford.
ISBN09536902-0-2
3. Manji F, Jaffer M, & Njuguna EN (2000), 'Using
ICTs to enhance the capacity of human rights organizations in southern
Africa'. In: Voices from Africa: Information and Communication Technologies,
UNCTAD/NGO Liaison Service, Vol. 9, pp 19-32
4. www.fahamu.org.uk/rights/adoverview.html
5. www.Pambazuka.org
[end] [BPN, no 30, 2002, pp 6-8.]
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