and the issues of access to pornography, women's empowerment, challenging the existing power structures and subsequent closure of the telecentre.
Yesterday I was writing our newsletter, and thinking how VSAT use is a mixed blessing. I was wondering how I should raise the issue of pornographic sites with my friends at the InfoCentre.
I was also thinking of other discussions I had in the past with Peter Oyawale about how access to information challenges existing power structures and how we could achieve win-win situations. For example the InfoCentre is in premises provided by the Local Government. Access to information may threaten corrupt practices in LG. We don't want to alienate LG. Somehow we have to develop InfoCentre services in ways where LG officials will see great benefits for themselves and their families. It seems that we need a situation where, even if access to information affects various "payments" that local officials are used to getting, other benefits will outweigh what is lost and they will, on balance, still support the InfoCentre.
This threat to existing power is one of the reasons that Peter intended starting off with his LG foot ball league, rather than the InfoCentres, so that there would be strong local awareness and support for what he was initiating in Oke-Ogun "To bring good things that the developed world enjoys..." . The ideas was that through the football league, and the trophies donated by Peter's group to the LGs, the LG chairmen would be positively involved from the start. With Peter's death the football league work faltered, and the trophies remained at his home in the UK.
I have only been dipping into the list and don't know if these issues are on or off topic. I would appreciate feedback, on or off list, from others who have faced these issues.
Pam
Pamela McLean - Cawd volunteer and CawdNet convenor
CawdNet – Networking in rural Nigeria and in the virtual communities of the Internet.
For an introduction to CawdNet www.cawdnet-intro.blogspot.com
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For how it all started www.cawd.info
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