Blog

I first heard this statement on the first day of the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) in Dr David Souter’s lecture and overview of the Internet governance ecosystem and its key players.

Initially, I silently disagreed and to an extent, did not quite grasp the full meaning of the statement at the time. In my mind, in any discourse that seeks to incorporate the input of several stakeholders, the objective would be to win, leaving such a process after having successfully pushed through one’s stakeholder interests and positions. Otherwise what would be the point of even… Read more

Before I attended the Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigX) I did not think there was anything I could say related to gender activism. The last four days have reaffirmed the saying shared on the first day “if you are not at the table you will be on the menu”.

There is often an assumption that gender issues are only women’s rights issues but they operate on a principle of inclusivity for all-marginalised, invisible members of society. Our different intersectionalities may sometimes result in us assuming or not seeing the issues affecting others.

The gigX showed the… Read more

Dr. Sami Salih, founder and chair of the Sudanese IPv6 Task Force (SDv6TF) since 2010. During his position at the telecom regulatory authority (NTC Sudan) as head of R&D he participated in many events organized by ICT related organizations such as ITU, AfriNIC, ICANN and other regional and international events since 2006.

Furthermore, he established an authorized training center for IPv6 in Sudan in collaboration with NAV6 Malaysia. He is appointed by ITU to develop national strategic migration plans toward… Read more

 Zoe Titus is a former print journalist who has branced out into media development work in which she has been engaged with for the last 16 years. She currently works for the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) which is the premium media freedom and freedom of expression advocacy organisation in southern Africa. Moving from mainstream media to media development, and coming to realise that many media development organisations work on an assumption that all journalists/media professionals understand and support press freedom. I have… Read more

In the opening session at this year’s Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigXAfrica), participants highlighted some key questions they had that they hoped would be answered during the exchange. One participant innocently asked: if the internet is free for all, how are women really marginalized in that space? This is my attempt at a calm response to this question that I am slowly realising occupies the minds of many.

Indeed, the internet is now generally widely accessible, seemingly offering countless opportunities and… Read more

A simple guide to write about complex topics

Blogging, posting, sharing Afrisig

We hope this guide is useful to orientate you on how to generate content related to internet governance while you are participating at AfriSIG.

First of all, some tips on writing…

… a blog post

A blog post is where you get to be yourself – use more informal language, express opinions and challenge your readers. Blog posts pieces are usually quite short, but be warned! They are very lightly… Read more

Sellina Khumbo Kapondera is a lecturer in the Department of Library and Information science (LIS) at Mzuzu University, Malawi, since 2010. She is also the head of LIS Department. She holds a Masters Degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, obtained in March, 2015. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Library and Information Science from Mzuzu University, Malawi, obtained in 2010.

For five days last year, I was privileged to attend the Second (2014) African School on Internet Governance in Mauritius, curtsey… Read more

Aminou Ndala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management as well as a Masters degree in Intellectual Property Rights from Africa University in Zimbabwe. He has done many professional courses which include Internet Society (ISOC) Next Generation Leaders (NGL) e-learning training program and Internet Governance Capacity Building Program (IGCBP) with DiploFoundation. Mr. Ndala is a member of the Internet Society (ISOC) Cameroon chapter and a former board member. Finally, he is a passionate editor and a member of the Wiki Africa team.

Three major reasons gave AfriSIG 2014 an A… Read more

Michael Graaf, from the Right to Know Campaign (South Africa) is a lifelong activist in anti-apartheid, antimilitarist, green, and information liberation fields. His education background is some science, some humanities, some media studies, and some IT.  

Almost everybody loves Wikipedia, and while we may not all love Facebook (FB), many of us are somewhat addicted to it anyway. So, if cellular networks offer access to them free of charge, it is an offer that few would resist. But we should remember the cliche about “free” products on the internet: if there’s no charge… Read more

Wellington Radu is Head of Programmes at Media Monitoring Africa, South Africa. He is interested in information and communication technologies, human rights and sustainable development. Wellington holds a Masters Degree in Development Sociology from Wits University and a certificate in Human Rights Theory and Practice from the University of Cape Town.

Aside from the diversity of the participants, the length and breadth and maybe depth of the topics discussed, there was something really special about the second African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG 2014). I say… Read more