This post comes from Anna over at Open Cafe. Anna has been working in South Africa for years now, and is working hard to educate and connect the population there. What really interested me was how other countries have responded to this “Web 2.0″ thing that we are so infatuated with in the states.

I asked her to tell me a story about how the internet has effected her and this is what I received.

Amazed by possibilities

I arrived in South Africa in 1997 – that is also the year when I started using the Internet initially to send e-mails to the very few friends who already used the NET – one of them was Ethelbert Miller of Howard University – whose blog was the very first blog I have ever seen. (Our university in Budapest did have Internet access but it was still complex to use it back then.) I was amazed by the capabilities of such a network – even though I had no technical background of any kind when I started using it. I pretty much got addicted immediately – and haven’t stopped discovering new features and tools since – I still think that I am at the very beginning of what is there to accomplish with the NET even today.

Self-training – a new approach to problem solving

I quickly learned the basics (on Win95 I think it was still) the basics of working with documents and graphics. At that time I had nothing to do – new country – living on a farm – I had all the time to experiment – so I spent most of my time learning computer skills and I realized how easily I can teach myself all the basics of graphic design and web design just by using the Help files and some of the freely available tutorials I found on the NET.

This self-training has become the norm – and whenever I wanted to learn a new skill or advance my web design skills (or other skills) I simply looked for a tutorial and went through the examples and could immediately use the new skill and apply it in a real project. All of this I have done while living on a farm outside a small town North of Pretoria using a dial-up link to access the NET.

Teaching self-training – giving on the skills

I was amazed by the power of this self-training system I developed for myself – once I learned all those basic skills we registered a domain – I think in 2001 – potchnet.co.za with the idea to create a support center both offline and online where computer and Internet users can come and ask questions about using the NET, sending e-mails etc. We had no specific plans otherwise.Very few were interested from the local community or the web. We carried on regardless – we had 3 old computers which we used to learn web design, programming, we were also teaching basic computer skills to a few people.

Project culture

Once we set up our domain we switched to “project mode”. We came up with ideas, wrote a plan, and started running the project. We also took part in festivals and other events where we chatted to people about Internet and computer use. Later on we started all sorts of projects, one of them was our art project which aimed to teach artists basic computer and web design skills so that they can put their artwork online and learn how to market and sell their art with the help of computers and the Internet.It has been interesting so far, we worked with artists from Africa and beyond and experimented and tested how artists respond to such a project.

Open source software and launching the OpenCafe

In 2003 we decided to set up a thin client network in our small icafe – using Linux. This started a new phase since now we could join global communities and projects – while before all that we did – we did without anyone knowing or taking part. We liked the open source concept and from then on we devoted all our time to learning more about open source projects. We also submitted a proposal to the Shuttleworth Foundation for the set up of non-profit open source internet cafe that would devote its work to the promotion of open source software in local communities. Our proposal was accepted and received seed capital to set up the project called OpenCafe – which we officially launched in October 2004. Our cafe has 15 workstations running on Ubuntu Linux using a thin-client setup.

Open content, Creative Commons & content sharing

The OpenCafe – to me is a project that focuses on giving on the open source concept so that people can apply it in any area of their lives – be it a computer related project or any other project they feel passionate about. The idea is to teach students, teachers, local businesses, artists and everyone else to get independent and use – since most people in South Africa has no access to good quality access and would not be able the materials&tools available via the NET to start&run their initiatives, solve problems, teach their craft or learn one, keep in touch and have an open attitude to things in general. We discovered Creative Commons right before it was launched in South Africa – and by the time of the launch one of our artists decided to publish her first book with a CC license – we have been active since in promoting CC licenses and the various ways one can create, share and build on open content.

OpenCafe – building open communities (online and offline)

The OpenCafe is still in design phase and will be for quite a while – it is being shaped and tested by our local geeks, artists, and all its other visitors. We have succeeded in providing a platform to share things – make connections – learn skills and run projects and after 3 years as OpenCafe we have helped locals learn basic computer skills, also taught artists both locally and globally basic skills and got their work online, we also held one of the very first barcamps in SA, we take part in the Software Freedom Day celebrations each year and also serve as a source of open source software and open content we help people get access to these materials freely.

Freedom toaster – a digital library of open content & open source materials

Our cafe has a Freedom Toaster – which was developed and was donated to us by the Shuttleworth Foundation. The toaster is actually a computer that can write 3 CDs in the same time and is specifically designed to make copies of open source software and open content materials – since most people in South Africa has no access to good quality access and would not be able to access these materials otherwise. The toaster is still a new project – there is a lot to be done to make sure it is fully customizable and is ready to handle large amounts of data.

Social networking tools – entering the blogsphere

By starting my blogs – I suddenly entered a world that would introduce me to people from all over the world that would be ready to teach me about topics I’d like to learn about, people I can teach and give on some of the knowledge and experience I have – and in general just be creative in as many ways as possible. Today’s web is practising skills that used to be much more natural in the old days – people used to learn skills freely from their parents, or others in their communites, skills that they would start using immediately to create products, and offer services that is much needed. Conversational knowledge sharing – as you put it – has become a favourite past time for many using the NET – and I think it should eventually become the way one acquires knowledge and skills replacing today’s outdated educational methods.

Web 2.0 Roundup

What really struck me about this interview is the creativity that Anna and those she works with have applied to help bring the net to a country that is still working hard to bridge the connectivity gap. This level of ingenuity and good old fashioned bootstrapping is something that many a Web 2.0 startup could take as a lesson.

I am interested in hearing more stories from countries outside of the U.S. If you have a project you would like to share, or an anecdote that you would like to share please contact me. Thanks again Anna for taking the time to talk to us.

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