Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Straight from the Source Perspectives from the African Free and Open Source Software Movement

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Abstract

This essay is drawn from the proceedings of AfricaSource, a workshop held in Okahandja, Namibia during 15-19 March 2004. The workshop was organised by the Tactical Technology Collective, AllAfrica Foundation, and SchoolNet Namibia. Material presented here was collected from more than a dozen face-to-face interviews with conference participants.


The AfricaSource workshop brought together free and open source software (FOSS) developers from across Africa. Participants shared technical skills and experiences, discussed key challenges in realising FOSS projects, and developed concrete strategies for strengthening the nascent community of FOSS technologists working in African contexts. The workshop offered a mixture of structured discussions and hands-on work with an emphasis on practical and intense knowledge exchange.


The objective of this essay is to summarise the views of the AfricaSource participants on the obstacles facing the FOSS community in Africa. A dialogue on the topic may help to catalyse changes that will reduce or eliminate barriers to free and open source software development in Africa.


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Source

Digital Opportunity website