Strategic use of the internet

Ungana-Afrika connecting advice centres in rural South Africa
Ungana-Afrika connecting advice centres in rural South Africa 12 March 2007 Ungana-Afrika

APC-member in South Africa, Ungana-Afrika, is in the middle of a rural connectivity initiative that targets legal advice centres. Communication capacity is being beefed-up in the rural area of South Africa. Ten advice centres are already on Ungana-Afrika’s eRiders roadmap. And they’re moving fast.

SANGONeT ... attempting a rescue of poorly performing telecentres
SANGONeT ... attempting a rescue of poorly performing telecentres 29 January 2007 APC

APC member SANGONeT features in this report titled South Africa: Rescue Attempt On Poorly Performing Telecentres. Says the Johannesburg-datelined report in Business Day, which is South Africa’s major business-oriented daily: “Dozens of telecentres set up to take telecommunications services to rural areas have been an absolute waste of time and money, says an organisation trying to salvage them. Of 133 telecentres set up by the Universal Service Agency (USA), many are underused, en...

WSF coverage: What a day!
WSF coverage: What a day! 24 January 2007 APC

It was no ordinary day at the Forum yesterday. An angry crowd protested, stopped the traffic, and created confusion. It was the worthy WSF that found itself at the end of the of the protesters’’ anger. Some 200 them from the slums demanded to be let into the stadium, forcing Forum organiser Jose Chacon to order the giant metal gates open.

The internet in Latin America... from the eyes of its protagonists
The internet in Latin America... from the eyes of its protagonists 21 January 2007 APC

Check this blog by Jose Sorian titled “la historia de Internet en ALC por sus protagonistas” at http://interred.wordpress.com/. Thanks to Adolfo Dunayevich of APC for putting out the link. Some other links on that blog’s blog-roll: Convergencias de gente en la red; LANIC – Historia de Internet en ALC; and recuerdos de la red.

India looks out for models, skills on community radio
India looks out for models, skills on community radio 18 January 2007 APC

Looking at a few available models, social groups interested in entering the field of non-commercial ‘community radio’ broadcasting are actively assessing models for the same.

Wireless technology and blogging in Africa
Wireless technology and blogging in Africa 15 January 2007 Focus on Africa

Following an APC coordinated meeting in London about wireless internet technology in Africa last December, John Dada and Alaa Ahmed Seif al-Islam gave interviews to the BBC World Service. Those of you not based in Africa may have missed the broadcasts. Here they are in mp3 files. Both were broadcasted on the BBC’s Focus on Africa Programme in December 2006.

The Chaos in the Bazaar: The CCC kicks off
The Chaos in the Bazaar: The CCC kicks off 27 December 2006 APC

Hackers, young zit-faced teenagers, mid-aged technologists and enthusiastic social techies rallied behind the motto “Who Can You Trust?”. It’s called the Chaos Communications Congress (CCC) and attracts several hundred Central and Eastern Europeans, but also North Americans by now.

Dawn of the digital city
Dawn of the digital city 01 December 2006 APC

“It’s a go for the installation tomorrow, I know I’m last minute, but that’s the life of a ninja,” Alexis Cornellier, director of operations for the Montreal-based community wireless network Île Sans Fil (ISF) wrote in an sms. ISF has now become a catalyst for the establishment of the digital city. Read the excellent article "Dawn of the Digital City" by Brendan K. Edwards in the pag...

Interview with SANGONeT’s web editor: Getting the tech right
Interview with SANGONeT’s web editor: Getting the tech right 15 November 2006 FD for APCNews

The South African non-governmental organisation net (SANGONeT) is known for being at the forefront of South Africa’s civil society, especially in matters related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the internet. How that came to be and how SANGONeT is using technology is discussed with SANGONeT portal editor Fazila Farouk here.

BETINHO PRIZE SPECIAL: Communication technologies, weapons against war in Colombia
BETINHO PRIZE SPECIAL: Communication technologies, weapons against war in Colombia 09 October 2006 AL for APCNews

In the midst of an armed conflict, organising an audiovisual communication workshop for youth does not tend to be a priority for groups working in the area. Nevertheless, for the International Peace Observatory (IPO), a Colombian organisation that was a finalist for the Betinho prize in 2005, it is essential that small farmer communities – who are the first victims of the war – be a...

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