[Air-L] help on africa and computer donations
Radhika Gajjala
radhika at cyberdiva.org
Thu Aug 30 07:36:48 PDT 2007
Francois -
I am glad you raise these issues
On the one hand we face the push towards digital literacy (or Africa
and other regions of the world cannot participate in Modern
Globalization - that we see is clearly being defined in Urban and
westernized geographical places of the world- ) so that there is a
created "need" for computers and related technologies and literacies
whether they are contextually empowering or not in specific instances.
But on the other hand there is the issue of dumping older
technologies in third-world locations - which in part serves to keep
"developed" locations - places - free of environmentally hazardous
problems associated with the disposal of old computers (and this may
not be a well thought out conscious organized strategy on the part of
well-meaning charity donators meaning only to "empower" Others
through digital technologies... ). Computers are NOT environmentally
friendly creatures.....
so how do we work through this contradiction?
The solution cannot be for a few people to decide that
underprivileged populations dont get to use computers or participate
in the status quo - while those that decide this continue to benefit
from being situated in the status quo...
just some thoughts.
r
Radhika Gajjala
Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator
School of Communication Studies
302 West Hall
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43402
http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik
http://www.cyberdiva.org/blog
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