High Tech in Africa: Geeks Needed

srl writes: "The Boston Globe is running a series about high tech in Africa--- talking about how the continent needs a lot of geeks willing to work there to build Net infrastructure. (Anyone want to take on a big project?) The series as a whole is interesting and sheds light on a topic that most American geeks probably don't spend time thinking about. See also part 1, about the new high-speed fiber link to Africa and part 2, about cybercafes in Africa."

Comments

Been There, Done That

[Anonymous Coward]

OK, some of you talk about the bad things. Let's look at these:

• low/no pay
  As a former PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) I can attest to the value of PC on your resume. Also, believe it or not, there is more to life than money. You might just learn something about yourself and/or the world if you get out of your server room.
  
  
• Parasites/bugs/disease du jour
  Humans have been on this planet for an awful long time and PC, for one, has excellent healthcare. So what if you get Dengue fever (I did) or a few parasites (got them too). The benefits of your experience will far outweigh any foolish American fears of a few microbes. There are 750 million people in Africa - obviously Africa is a great place to live, else there'd be zero. Finally on this topic - most diseases/parasites are easily avoided by simple hygiene - boil your water, don't have unprotected sex...
  
  
• violence/corruption/etc.
  yes, some of these places have violence and most are very corrupt (by the American definition) but, then, that's why they are developing countries. Look around you. violence and corruption are a part of even an American life. Are you so naiive as to believe our gov't. is free of corruption? Go to a developing country, learn to work the system and when you return, you'll be like one of Paul Atredies' Fremen on a new planet - you'll work circles around your stupid co-workers. (ok, bad analogy)
  
  
• Poor/bad/non-existent infrastructure
  You gain strength from doing the thing you think you can not do. I built a computer lab in a rural rice-farming village where there is no running water and little electricity. If you've got what it takes, you can do anything!
  

Still reading? Maybe YOU have what it takes. PeaceCorps The toughest job you'll ever love!

Geek Corps

[dkm]

If you are interest in volunteering, check out the Geek Corps. It like the Peace Corps but for the technical able. They are looking for both volunteers and donations.

I have no relationship with Geek Corps but I've always thought it looked like a great idea.

Risky? Hardly

[Infonaut]

"I know these countries deserve a break" is about the biggest understatement I've ever heard. If you've been to sub-Saharan Africa, you see firsthand just how much most of the countries in the region desperately need help.

They don't need the kind of help that the western world primarily gives them, which is just enough assistance to help themselves stay poor. What they need is infrastructure development:

* Viable microeconomic development, so that average entrepreneurs can make a living.

* Eradication of tarrifs from the developed world, which hinder African nations from exporting

* Real education for more than just the elites.

* Fundamental change in the regional politics of Africa, which would allow nations to concentrate on development rather than ethnic and border feuds.

The fact is that Africa's history has put it so far to the back of the pack that even with a concerted effort among European and North American countries to assist African nations in a structured, long-term manner, to talk of "little African kids" working for a bowl of rice and putting us out of work is patently absurd.

There is no "tough call" here. We either help African people climb out of poverty, cyclical famine, and oppressive politics, or all of us will pay the price sooner or later. It's enlightened self-interest for us to help African nations help themselves.

Gambia experiences

[CptnHarlock]

I was in the Gambia participating in an cultural exchange project called Dunya Molu last November. The sittuation there is not as bad as you describe it to be in South Africa. Granted, the government is slow and some parts of it are quite corrupted, but it's deffinetely not worse than some of the eastern Europe countries which many investors are OK with. Gambia is a very small and quite poor country and people have to get by in some way. Then it's "normal" that the Police or Customs sometimes try to add some dinero to their wages... Despite the generally lower standards there still are decent and relatively cheap Cybercafees with PII:s, color printers, scanners and so on.

In the project I participated I was responsible for the webpage and some other computer oriented stuff. I just want to remind you that this is also a way in which you can help. It doesn't need to be infrastructure or humongously big projects. You can add your little share here and there.

Finaly don't judge the entire African continent from what you've seen in one country! It's like havin been to Albania and judging Monaco based on those experiences. Africa is bigger than Europe!..

Cheers...

P.S. The humid air in the Gambia did wonders to the junk that gets stuck on the mouses "scrollers"!!..
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$HOME is where the .*shrc is

Not again....

[CptnHarlock]

Everytime there is an Africa/Internet related storry a lot of people start screaming "Give Africa food/celan water/medication before tech/Internet/bandwith" and many a good modpoints get wated on those coments. Have you been to Africa? Yes, the countries in that continent are generally poorer but remember that what you see in the news is not the entire picture. When I was living in Bulgaria (before the perestrojka) whenever there was some news report from the US on TV they were filming in some backalley with homless people lying arround drinking liquor from papercovered bottles... When there is a report from Africa in the West it's allways famine, war and catastrophes. Don't you realize that if those were the only things that happened in Africa the continent wouldn last even 5 years? On the streets of Stockholm I see as many beggars/homeless as I saw in Serekunda (the Gambia)!.. Yes, many parts of Africa need all those things but the situation is not the same everywere. Getting access to information on the Internet will also rise the awareness regarding many of those problems and probably even partially help solve them. Developement doesn't need to be made in a linear/serial fashion. So: Africa does need Internet/tech/modern infrastructures!..
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$HOME is where the .*shrc is

Of course, even doing this is risky.

[Pxtl]

I know these countries deserve a break, and need records. However, with the records of human rights and oppressive governments there, wiring Africa could be dooming ourselves. Can you compete with the cost undercutting of an african code sweatshop? We always toot that information is free, and once you get online, even with an old discarded 486 running Arachne, you've got access. This means that, theoretically, anyone with access can become a coder. Even little African kids who'll work for a bowl of rice. Will you work for a bowl of rice? Then why hire you? There's no shipment cost for software, the primary weakness of exporting work to abusive sweatshop countries like indonesia. On the other hand, do we have the right to deny them this tech? To keep them out of this economy? They do deserve their chance to level the playing field.... And its not like they don't deserve a break. Tough call.