arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

African delegates at the first Indymedia African regional conference in Dakar, Senegal are set to spread the idea and practice in the continent. Delegates from Indymedia Ambazonia, Kenya, Angola and the DR Congo, have been holding sessions with Indymedia resource persons from Europe since Monday, March 8. The conference runs for one week.

The delegates have so far been introduced to the Indymedia philosophy, open posting, web re-search and interview techniques. Some of these sessions have however remained theoretical because of the failure of internet facilities at the conference venue on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Practical sessions have not been possible. Sessions on audio and video editing and use of puppets are expected later on Thursday.

The Dakar conference has thus been hailed as a timely and welcome forum for “massive” initiation of Africans into Indymedia. During discussions amongst delegates, it has been received as a way to give the voiceless in Africa – if not all Africans irrespective - an opportunity to express themselves in a medium of their own, away from mainstream media that close their pages and airwaves to “unconventional” opinion. Indymedia has been received by African delegates at the Dakar conference as a platform to put Africans’ lamentations on the world stage, where mainstream media , both national and international, are restricted because they must not be radical against the multinationals and intergovernmental institutions that benefit from globalisation. It is hoped that at future conferences, more African countries will be represented to carry Indymedia even further field in Africa.

While they find this an opportunity to address the concerns of the suffering masses, one general worry amongst African delegates is the question: is the internet a realistic medium for mass mobilisation in Africa?

It has been remarked that rural electrification is very minima in Africal, leaving mostly the cities and towns electrified. Considering that the internet cannot function where there are no electricity and telephone facilities, the internet as a medium to apply Indymedia in Africa may not be realistic, delegates have pointed out. Also, the literacy factor in Africa is a major handicap to the internet approach. A proposed alternative here is use of theatre, but possibly also dance and song to reach less literate rural peoples.

Another major concern of the African delegates is security around Indymedia activities. They wonder whether activists in Africa who do not have their own internet facilities may not be exposing themselves to security dangers by using public cybercafés.

Discussions have been lively, even though sometimes stressful because some sessions are overloaded or too long as a result of the need to catch up with time lost from failed internet connection. Rapport amongst the group - African delegates and resource persons alike – is very good.

African delegates at the conference are Grace and John from Kenya, Jean from DRC, Gilberto from Angola and Frank from Indymedia Ambazonia (the Cameroons).