New talent shaping the information society
Abstract
Africa is in the process of joining the information society, but can it also be a powerful force in shaping it? With the rise of China as an economic superpower we have seen the rise of the Chinese Internet. Now more pages are published in Chinese than any other language in the world. Most importantly, the Internet space in China is not the same as seen elsewhere. They have created their own version that meets the needs of their own culture. Can and will Africa do the same?
Will the continent remain a simple consumer, digesting millions of mobile phones and burning billions of minutes, or can it also produce its own technologies? How will Africa join the global village and contribute to both its local and international development? How is this process reflected in the rise of local industries and what do they look like? Is this part of the same culture seen elsewhere or does it have unique traits and character? Who are the individuals shaping this process and what is their vision for the future? What does this mean for the development of the continent and the information society as a whole?
More specifically, this research project focuses on emerging software culture in Kampala, Uganda. Case studies include communities of programmers at the Makerere University Faculty of Computer Programming and ICT, a young tech incubator AppAfrica and the more established Software Factory Uganda. These are three different models that share a common interest to develop local talent. Each, in their own way, offers the working space, infrastructure and guidance young programmers need to develop their talents and ideas.
To better understand these projects I spend considerable time with the end users (the young programmers) working to develop platforms, applications and software services. The aim is to understand this process from the bottom up, to embed myself amongst the members of this community and to learn from their perspective. I also look at the structures of these different organizational approaches and compare them. In closing, I place these projects as part of a larger context in which software culture acts as an important agent in the development of a true African information society.
Keywords
East Africa, Uganda, Kampala, Information Society, Information Services, Software, Application, Programming, Code, ICT, Internet, Computer, Mobile, Developer, Entrepreneur, Incubation, Start up, Venture Capital.
Closing
If you have thoughts, questions, ideas or contacts please feel free to contact me! / bntx@hotmail.com
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