The Challenges with Content

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The Challenges with Content

• Anna Badimo
• Digital Citizens Indaba 2007

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CONTENTS

• History of LinuxChix
• LinuxChix Africa Vision
• What does Content have to do with it?
• Content Challenges
• Content its importance in advancing the Vision
• Conclusion
• Poem In and Out of the Kitchen

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HISTORY OF LinuxChix

• LinuxChix was established in 1999 in the USA by
  Deb Richardson.
• LinuxChix has got affiliates in Canada,
  Australia, India, Europe, South America,
  Afghanistan, Poland, Africa, etc. and it is still
  growing.
• In Africa, LinuxChix is present in more than 26
  countries.

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LINUXCHIX AFRICA

• In Africa, our form of differentiation was to
  recognise the context within which we live. Hence
  our Vision is
• Make the future, Be the future , Free the future
  for African Women
• Our key objective is to build technical
• Linux skills among African women

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LINUXCHIX AFRICA

• Other Objectives
• To advocate for the use of FOSS in development
  with a focus on the achievement of the MDGs.
• To use the acquired skills (Eg. ChixSource) in
  our respective settings in order to empower and
  advance other women.
• We believe we will not have achieved our
  objectives until we can answer the question
• Has ICT and FOSS changed the lives of
• African women for the better?

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What does Content have to do with it?

• Content
• Is about how information is presented.
• Is about the knowledge that is derived from it.
• Is a powerful educational tool.
• Is about self-expression, story telling, digital
  grazing places, etc.

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CHALLENGES

• Before we talk about the challenges of content,
  we have to address the challenges of access
• Affordability of computers
• Connectivity issues
• Affordability of connectivity
• Usability issues

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CHALLENGES

• Language as a barrier
• Most content not in African languages, let alone
  indigenous languages.
• Study on Science and Maths most students do well
  when these subjects are presented in their mother
  tongue.

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CHALLENGES

• Language as a barrier
• As a result, people cannot express themselves in
  their own languages and indigenous knowledge is
  lost...
• Eg. Search for Koma on Google Found it as a
  French word yet it has a special meaning in
  Northern Sotho, etc.

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CHALLENGES

• Gender as a barrier
• Locker-room mentality still prevalent in
  technical online lists, hence, LinuxChix...
• Gender Changers approaches present technical
  material and content in a way comfortable and
  accommodating of women.
• LinuxChix Brazil Espanol, etc.

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CHALLENGES

• What about the majority LinuxChix is trying to
  reach?
• Women lists like Chix, APC, Ubuntu women, Gnome
  women, etc.
• Blogs for African women a catalyst for
  encouraging women participation.
• But the majority of women left out...especially
  in Africa.

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CONCLUSION

• What is the problem?
• "What problem? There's no problem! Sexism is
  dead! Others argue that policies exist to advance
  and empower women.
• Yet many forget that the attitudes have not
  changed and that trade off is required to
  accommodate the true empowerment of women, in all
  fields but specifically in ICT and Computer
  Science.

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CONCLUSION

• LCA Advocacy initiatives
• Education and literacy for women should be a
  priority, especially Maths, Science and
  Technology.
• Information Highway Access to all and in
  languages they are comfortable with.
• Projects to encourage the participation of women
  in ICT and FOSS as users and techies.
• Software Freedom Day, Etc.

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CONCLUSION

• LCA Advocacy initiatives
• In everything that is done entrepreneurship,
  FOSS, blogging, etc there is always a gap that
  is left, further marginalising and alienating
  women, consciously or unconsciously.
• Until affordable ICTs have reached those poor
  women in rural and remote villages, it will
  remain an urban toy, incapable of tapping into
  their stories.

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POEM

• How various her employments whom the world Calls
  idle and who justly in return Esteems that busy
  world an idler too. Friends, books, her needle
  and perhaps her pen, Delightful industry enjoyed
  at home.Can she want occupation who has these?
• By Melton B., (1999). In and Out of the Kitchen