the rate at which people get access to the internet is now at the increased rate thanks to our GSM network providers that has made it possible for people to subscribe to internet bundles using their phone as modem. though the bundle is limited. i have bought a new HP printer and a 3G MTN modem of an higher speed if used with a 3G network. though 3G is not in our area yet. people are keen to have access to the internet, we have more people introduced to the internet on daily basis. the challenge still remains power supply what can we do?

[17:58] <pam2> so.. wheww - hello Pauline

I was happy Pauline was still there so I could greet her better. She was the only person in the chat room that I did not already know. Obviously the better I know the individual people, and their overlapping interests, the easier it is to try and help everyone to get something useful from the session. Kelechi was also still there. He is another of the UK-Nigeria team in Fantsuam (NB People seem to use the place names "Fantsuam" and "Kafanchan" for more or less the same place. I was once told, by a man on a plane, that Kafanchan is the name in the regional language - Hausa -� and Fantsuam is the name in the local language, which is itself called Fantsuam. Sometime I must remember to check if this is true)

• These are open sessions.
  
• You are welcome to join us.
  
• 12.00 UTC Coordinated Universal Time.
  
• In this chat room http://www.worknets.org/chat/base/home.php?arsc_language=english
• Instructions for using the chat room for the first time

Pamela, what a productive chat! Thank you for your update! Andrius
Kulikauskas, Minciu Sodas, http://www.ms.lt, ms@...

> Hi All.
>
> I have published the archive of First Thursday May 6th
> chat<http://docs.google.com/View?id=dvkjgqm_293dqd9w2fc>.
> I will copy and paste a few quotes from the archive (marked*) so you can
> see
> the times when the focus of the chat changed - I have no idea what time
> zone
> it refers to. The time reference will help you to find any bits you want
> to
> read in detail.
>
> We started with informal greetings, then after ten minutes or so moved to
> a
> slightly more formal discussion between  Shubham Nagar (in Delhi), the
> Chief
> Executive Officer (CEO) at InfoAxon <http://www.infoaxon.com>, and Tobias
> Eigen (in Berlin I think), the founder and director of
> Kabissa<http://kabissa.org>
> http://kabissa.org.
>
> * [15:58] *<pam>* In fact our idea of comparing rural Nigeria and rural
> India could be a great starting point
>
> Gradually they discovered a shared interest more specific to their own
> areas
> of work
>
> * [16:21] *<Shubham_Nagar>* Tobias , do you offer any services to Africa
> NGOs or simply a communication platform?
>
> Then  John Dada <http://www.dadamac.net/about/john> arrived
>
> *[16:27] *<John_Dada>* Hi folks, our apologies, Chief of Kafanchan police
> has been visiting
>
> We started to focus on some practicalities of rural Africa with John, and
> others from our UK-Nigeria team. It is often difficult to make the time to
> join the chat - as we heard from "the other John"
> *[16:31] *<JOHN_I>* have i missed so much cos am a bit late due to some
> sort
> of stress from students
>
> *[[16:33] *<pam>* we are about to let T and S learn the current realities
> of
> life in rural Nigeria
>
> and with Zoneziwoh from Cameroon
> * [16:33] *User Zoneziwoh enters the room English.*
>
>  and Clement from Lagos
> * [16:38] *<Clement_Aigbogun>* Hello all
>
>
> Graham Knight (UK) rejoined us while we were discussing mobile phones
> *16:41] *<Graham>* Hi Everyone. I' interested in use of mobiles. Some of
> you
> will know why
>
> People discovered various useful areas of overlap (which will be followed
> up
> later through our usual emails, Skype chats, Thursday chats, or whatever
> suits people best).
>
> Areas of shared interest included:
>
> *[16:49] *<Zoneziwoh>* in this case, JD, how lasting can the lowest fone
> qlty withstand, i mean an average of hw many calls b4 the battery runs
> flat
>
> * [16:50] *<Shubham_Nagar>* hi John, i am curious to know about how NGOs
> (large , medium and small) solve their knowledge management needs. Yes, we
> are curious to know more about Nigerian market in this context but dont
> know
> where to start
>
> *[16:54] *<John_Dada>* There are NGO networks and clusters around specifc
> issues, but wdespread internet access challenge makes networking quite a
> challenge,
> [16:55] *<Shubham_Nagar>* international development is an existing area of
> interest for us to contribute as we already work with HIV AIDS communities
> in Africa
>
> *[16:55] *<Kelechi>* Am interested in what solutions you might have, am
> very
> much inclined toward software developent and deployment
>
> By now, in theory, we were getting towards the end of our chat. Then
> Pauline
> arrived. It was still early morning in her time zone.
> *[17:00] *<Pauline>* Hi everyone, my name is Pauline and I work for a US
> NGO
> doing development in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially Togo
>
> As usual there was a flurry of agreeing to send emails as the hour long
> session drew to its expected end time.
> *[17:04] *<Shubham_Nagar>* sure Pauline - shubham.nagar@...
> [17:04] *<Kelechi>* We will followup on email S, nice chatting with you.
> [17:04] *<Shubham_Nagar>* i will email John and pam
> [17:05] *<Pauline>* Thank you, I will email you shortly
> [17:05] *<John_Dada>* Thanks Shubham
>
> And as usual there was still more waiting to be said
> *[17:08] *<pam>* Graham at the meeting yesterday Bala was reporting on
> what
> he had learned about the sotoves from you and Clement
>
> *[17:11] *<Bala>* Graham, I am thinking seriously of making a bucket stove
>
> Most people had to leave but not everyone
> *[17:17] *<pam>* who else is still here?
>
> Clement and Pauline were able to chat longer
> *[17:21] *<Pauline>* So I am a French Intern doing my masters in
> International trilingual management and I am doing a final internship for
> a
> US NGO near Washington DC. The foundation was created several years ago by
> Mark Noar, MD and recently evolved to enlarge its focus. We are
> interveneing
> in rural villages in Northern Togo for now and are focused on a
> coordinated
> development.
>
> *[17:23] *<Clement_Aigbogun>* am the managin consultant of NiCan
> environmental technologies. based in Lagos
>
> *[17:23] *<Pauline>* we are working on empowering members of remote rural
> communities throught education, agriculture ( the introduction of tea as a
> cashcrop), cottage industry (the conversion of kerosene lamps into solar
> ones, thanks Graham!), because we understood that without deveopping the
> cottage industry aspect there will vbe a continuous loss of community
> identty and cohesivenne.
>
> *[17:23] *<Pauline>* we are looking for educational material and ways to
> empower people through education, so we can implement improvment on the
> long
> run
>
> As usual in Nigeria power was causing problems
> *[17:30] *<Clement_Aigbogun>* got problems wth power
>
> Graham and Bala (from Fantsuam) rejoined the chat and and various topics
> were being raised.
> *[17:31] *<Graham>* I wouild like people to find out about what biomass is
> to be found locally. It seems there is MILLIONS of ton
>
> *[17:34] *<Pauline>* we are in contact with another NGO which is producing
> tea plants and would be interested in opening a nursery
>
> *[17:35] *<Clement_Aigbogun>* pauline ls tell me about the tea
>
> * Graham, Bala and Clement touched on their shared interest in the bucket
> stove and decided they wanted another Topic Thursday together (and agreed
> May 13th)
>
> With that sorted, people left... except
> *[17:57] *<Pauline>* Pam - it seems that there is only tou and me left
> [17:58] *<pam2>* so.. wheww - hello Pauline [image: ;-)]
>
> I was happy Pauline was still there so I could greet her better. She was
> the
> only person in the chat room that I did not already know. Obviously the
> better I know the individual people, and their overlapping interests, the
> easier it is to try and help everyone to get something useful from the
> session. Kelechi was also still there. He is another of the UK-Nigeria
> team
> in Fantsuam (NB People seem to use the place names "Fantsuam" and
> "Kafanchan" for more or less the same place. I was once told, by a man on
> a
> plane, that Kafanchan is the name in the regional language - Hausa -  and
> Fantsuam is the name in the local language, which is itself called
> Fantsuam.
> Sometime I must remember to check if this is true)
>
> *[18:00] *<Kelechi>* yes, I'll be off now, its raining at the moment,
> however, I have another meeting shortly with my Staff
>
> Then pauline left
> *[18:04] *<Pauline>* Pam, I am going to leave the chat - but I will wmail
> you right after I have a look at your website
>
> So -  the end of another First Thursday. My phone rang, I carried it out
> on
> the balcony and sat in the sun for a while - enjoying relaxation of a
> one-to-one voice chat after the concentration of typing in the chat-room.
>
> Next "First Thursday" will be June 3rd. Next "Topic Thursday" is 13th for
> "Bucket (biomass) Stoves" and whatever else Graham, Bala and Clement have
> as
> a shared interest.
>
>    - These are open sessions.
>    - You are welcome to join us.
>    - 12.00 UTC Coordinated Universal Time.
>    - In this chat room
>    http://www.worknets.org/chat/base/home.php?arsc_language=english
>    - Instructions for using the chat room <http://dadamac.net/node/243>for
>    the first time
>
>
> Now back to local realities - and off to vote in the UK general election.
>
> Pamela
>

Hi Harmony, I don't know how to help, but I share your letter with a few
groups.  You might like to join Pamela McLean's "Learning From Each
Other" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningfromeachother/  Please
write more about yourself and what country you are in.  Andrius
Kulikauskas, Minciu Sodas

On 05/12/2010 08:08 PM, Harmony Delase wrote:
> Dear AndriusKalikauskas,
> Hello there,
> Hope you are moving with big thinkers to turn ideas to material to
> help inprove the world.Creative ideas bring creative projects and this
> is what we are doing to be in contact with a great thinker that can
> help us inprove the quality of life in our community.
> Please we would be very pleased if you can link us to any ORGANIZATION
> that can help us get 100 BEE HIVES and OTHER ITERMS THAT CAN HELP US
> IN BEE KEEPING.
> We need idaes ,technical support and physical assitance.Counting on
> your personal support in all to help us achieve the succes of our project.
> THANK YOU
> HARMONY DELASE
> COORDINATOR.
>
>

On 05/12/2010 08:44 PM, Harmony Delase wrote:
> Thank you for your prompt reply.
> Iam in GHANA IN WEST AFRICA.
> I live in a very small village in the volta region, near to the
> purpular WLI WATER FALLS. THE TAFI MONKEY SANCTUARY ON THE WEST.
> QUICKLY REGISTER ME TO YOUR GROUP OF THINKRS
> THANKS HARMONY DELASE
>

Thank you, Harmony! I've signed you up for Pamela's group.
Welcome!  Andrius
>
> --- On *Wed, 5/12/10, Andrius Kulikauskas /<ms@...>/* wrote:
>
>
>     From: Andrius Kulikauskas <ms@...>
>     Subject: Re: HELP US IN BEEKEEPING
>     To: "Harmony Delase" <delaseharmony@...>,
>     "learningfromeachother" <learningfromeachother@yahoogroups.com>,
>     "help group" <holistichelping@yahoogroups.com>
>     Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 5:36 PM
>
>     Hi Harmony, I don't know how to help, but I share your letter with
>     a few groups.  You might like to join Pamela McLean's "Learning
>     From Each Other"
>     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningfromeachother/  Please write
>     more about yourself and what country you are in.  Andrius
>     Kulikauskas, Minciu Sodas
>
>     On 05/12/2010 08:08 PM, Harmony Delase wrote:
>     > Dear AndriusKalikauskas,
>     > Hello there,
>     > Hope you are moving with big thinkers to turn ideas to material
>     to help inprove the world.Creative ideas bring creative projects
>     and this is what we are doing to be in contact with a great
>     thinker that can help us inprove the quality of life in our community.
>     > Please we would be very pleased if you can link us to any
>     ORGANIZATION that can help us get 100 BEE HIVES and OTHER ITERMS
>     THAT CAN HELP US IN BEE KEEPING.
>     > We need idaes ,technical support and physical assitance.Counting
>     on your personal support in all to help us achieve the succes of
>     our project.
>     > THANK YOU
>     > HARMONY DELASE
>     > COORDINATOR.
>     >
>     >
>
>

Atlas Corps Seeks Global Nonprofit Leaders (Fall Fellow Deadline:  May 15,
2010/applications accepted anytime for future Fellows)

PAID, OVERSEAS FELLOWSHIP POSITIONS WITH ATLAS CORPS

Atlas Service Corps seeks nonprofit leaders from around the world to apply for
their 2010-2011 fellowship positions in Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Seattle,
WA; Bogota, Colombia; and New Delhi, India. Expenses are paid in this
prestigious fellowship program, including a living stipend, health insurance,
and training.

Applicants must have 3 or more years of experience in the nonprofit sector, a
college degree, fluency in English (1 year of experience and Spanish proficiency
if applying to volunteer in Colombia), and a commitment to return to their home
country after their Fellowship.

Candidates from around the world are placed at outstanding host organizations in
the U.S. including Ashoka, Asian American LEAD, Grameen Foundation,
International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Population Action
International. Candidates from the U.S. are placed at organizations in Bogota
like Global Humanitaria and Oxfam GB.

In addition to volunteering full time at their host organizations, Fellows are
enrolled in a management development training program and join a growing network
of nonprofit leaders from around the world.

For more details about eligibility requirements and the application process,
please visit: http://www.atlascorps.org/apply.html and watch a short video about
the application process here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx63RKbqoKY.
Individuals are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.


Atlas Corps seeks Americans, and individuals from other countries, to apply for
fellowship positions in Bogota, Colombia starting in September. Candidates must
be proficient in Spanish and preferably have experience with fundraising or
program management. For more information, please visit
http://www.atlascorps.org/apply-to-colombia.html

Atlas Corps Hiring Staff in DC and NYC

Atlas Corps is hiring a Development Director in Washington, DC. To learn more,
please visit http://www.atlascorps.org/development-director.html. Deadline is
June 1, 2010. We may also be hiring a New York City Director soon, so stay tuned
for more details.

Thank you for your help spreading the word about these positions.

Sincerely,
Scott Beale
Founder & CEO
Atlas Corps

Connect with us online:
http://www.facebook.com/atlascorps
http://www.youtube.com/atlascorps
http://www.twitter.com/atlascorps

Over the last eight weeks I have been experimenting with Posterous - so now I am reflecting on the� experience. Posterous can be used for blogging, but I already have a blog, so I wanted it for something different. I was attracted to it because it is so easy to use� - as easy as an email.

Dusan,

Congratulations on setting up http://www.public-domain-image.com for
sharing images in the Public Domain! I think yours is a key initiative
for developing a culture of sharing, of working openly, of learning to
be family, of fostering independent thinkers. I look forward to
participating! and to promoting your work and website.

I alert COMMUNIA, the European Union's thematic network for the Public
Domain http://www.communia-project.eu I'm wondering if it would be
useful for you to attend their last meeting at the end of June, in
Torino, Italy? It might be possible for me to provide for your travel
costs there or to a COMMUNIA working group meeting later this year. In
any event, I look forward to working together.

I'm also wondering, what is the simplest way to share photos and
captions, from around the world, so that they enter your Public Domain
archive at the same time. Pamela McLean, Ricardo and their African
colleagues have shown how this is an effective way to communicate by
combining an image with even a few words, rather than writing
complicated texts. It might be possible to have distributed locations on
the web for adding photos to your archive. In the meanwhile, I look
forward to trying out your site.

Andrius

Andrius Kulikauskas
Minciu Sodas
http://www.ms.lt
ms@...
+370 699 30003


On 05/18/2010 11:16 PM, Dušan Bičanski wrote:
> Promote and share your creative work for free on largest public domain
> site.
>
> *Pubic Domain Images* <http://www.public-domain-image.com>
> (www.public-domain-image.com <http://www.public-domain-image.com>),
> the largest archive of top quality, high resolution (up to 20 mega
> pixels) public domain images.
> All pictures on this site are explicitly placed in the public domain,
> free for any personal or commercial use.
>
> On *Pubic Domain Images* <http://www.public-domain-image.com> you can:
>
> *Promote your digital work, web site, portfolio.*
> No matter if you are professional or amateur photographer you can put
> lots of informations under every image: your name, web site address,
> links to your portfolio (places where you sell your digital images),
> image name, description, keywords, custom notes and more.
>
> *Earn money from donations.*
> You will be able to make money from donations for every image you upload.
>
> *Fast and easy upload of your images via browser or FTP program.*
> Fast and easy multiple upload of your images via your favorite browser.
> For even faster upload you can upload via FTP program (you will get
> full access to upload folder with all instruction you will need).
>
> *Upload, share, promote your images.*
> Share your images with your friends, family and other users and
> visitors of site. Make your work famous.
>
> *It is free.*
> 100 % free
>
>
> I would like to see your work there and to promote it, of course for
> free. Anyone will be able to upload images, put author name, site
> address, links to portfolio, image name, description, keywords, custom
> notes, e-mail for PayPal donation (on page with image is donation
> button, and all donations trough that button goes directly to author
> who uploaded image).
>
> *Pubic Domain Images* <http://www.public-domain-image.com> will host
> and promote all your work for free.
>
> ing. Dusan Bicanski
>
> Each letter sent to livingbytruth@yahoogroups.com
> enters the PUBLIC DOMAIN whenever it does not state otherwise.
> http://www.primarilypublicdomain.org/letter/
> Please credit our authors!
>
>

Hi Andrius.

I see you :) on Public Domain Images gallery, please explore it and tell
me what do you like, dislike about gallery...

Regards,
ing. Dusan Bicanski

Hi everyone - sorry I didn't see this sooner to share with you. You would need to respond very quickly.

What would you say to Nokia Africa?

by HASH on June 2, 2010

On Friday I�ll be addressing some of the top business decision makers for Nokia in Africa. My goal is to shake them up a little, make them think deeply and differently about the African market.

Nokia hasn�t truly innovated in Africa since they put a flashlight in a Nokia 1100 in 2003.

I�ve been asked to discuss my views on how the handset and mobile services business situation is developing, what the opportunities are in those areas and suggestions on how Nokia could lead in this market.

Therein lies the problem: I�m only one person with one opinion, they need to hear from others with different experiences.

What would you say?

Add yours in the comments at:

http://whiteafrican.com/2010/06/02/what-would-you-say-to-nokia-africa/

The best will be brought to the Nokia executives attention:

Hallow Pam,Josephat,Maria,Andrius,Ricardo and all.I wish you are doing ok in
your daily activities.I was not online for a period of time but i thank God that
am back with some energy in my daily activity.
    I was started an idea salled Knowledge work which i was doing in my own,its
an idea of teaching students as an extra studies for their level.But at this
time i stoped because they are in hollyday time and most of they went to their
villagies to greet babu na bibi.
    Now days there is an exercise which is proceeding in our country,am among of
the people whose are registering,my post is arround Bamaga the way to go Sinza.
  I will tell you more about this exerxcise as far as possible tommorrow.
by Abinel Emmanuel.

• Short introduction to Pyramid of Peace
• Full story of Pyramid of Peace
  

• What about Health and use of the mobile in rural Nigeria?
• i would prefer will dwell on topics that can bring about improvement in the lives of local youths
• It might be possible to make the phones use VOIP then offer free calling between phones, just like skype
• Sharing Health information as cost effectively as possible for remote communities where health services are not readily available
• I remember Dr Chris saying he loved the fact that people could phone before bringing sick people� to see him - so if he was away they knew to wait until he returned
• I think the cost of calls is a big issue here.
• With Micro Finance field officers doubling as Info Agents, that's some cost saving, enhancing their status,
• yes that is practical,cost effective and socially beneficial to all showing that MF is not just about the loans and recovery etc
• .... talking Social Business, I think, and this is what MF, our model is all about
• This is an issue which is coming up at a lot of NGO meetings but not a lot of people seem to really know what to do about it - so it could be very useful for a round table discussion.
• Sharing Health information cost effectively for underserved and remote communities is a problem that will not go away as demonstrated by the constant stream into the FF clinic since last Friday event.�
• Folks are just hearing of the event, someone came in this morning from Gombe. Getting the information is primary. If these folks had the info, they'd have been seen by Prof Obaro and Dr Inusa on Friday.
• For me a big problem is the lack of phone networks in those rural areas, how erratic they are and the cost of making calls.
• We have found phone access in most unsusual remote locations during the ESSPIN: fortuitous access. These can be mapped
• The providers are concentrating on urban centres where they can make the most profit
• The Pareto priciple - 80% 20% rule
• I made a 10 minute phone call yesterday evening.� It cost me nearly N300.
• Government is yet to meet the challenge of providing the incentives for providers to explore rural locations
• The providers say they have to cover cost of diesel for their generators: thats where the high price comes in
• so that is something for the solar power innovators
• That should be the challenge, what do you do in spite of these constraints to save life through easier, affordable phone access?

--- In learningfromeachother@yahoogroups.com, "abinelimmanuel"
<abinelimmanuel@...> wrote:
>
> Hallow Pam,Josephat,Maria,Andrius,Ricardo and all.I wish you are doing ok in
your daily activities.I was not online for a period of time but i thank God that
am back with some energy in my daily activity.
>    I was started an idea salled Knowledge work which i was doing in my own,its
an idea of teaching students as an extra studies for their level.But at this
time i stoped because they are in hollyday time and most of they went to their
villagies to greet babu na bibi.
>    Now days there is an exercise which is proceeding in our country,am among
of the people whose are registering,my post is arround Bamaga the way to go
Sinza.
>  I will tell you more about this exerxcise as far as possible tommorrow.
> by Abinel Emmanuel.
>Today is a last day for that kind of exercise,i have got so many people,others
they lost there lines,others thry want to register.
  It means thst most of the people they are not aware thatswhy now they are going
to awake from the very deep sleepness.
    Iam in my working post now here Bamaga in sinza road,i decided to inter in
internet to inform you about this issue of registeration.I people in verry big
line waiting for service,this chance i have got because i came to make
photocopies of their ID cards.See you next time also i will have chat with Prims
about this issue in Swahili chat room as far as possible.You are also welcome.
                your friend Abinel Emmanuel.
                   Uyoga member.

Science for the `Re-Africanization' of Africa

Africa is perhaps the most culturally imaginative and creative region in the
world. It is extremely diversified, rich in talents and ingenuity with unlimited
resources and potential. It has colonized the planet and it enriches humanity
through inimitable arts. Yet, one African out of two lives in dismal human
conditions. And despite spectacular progress here and there, it also remains
profoundly socially and culturally conditioned, corrupted, domesticated and
debased by two self-inflicted intellectual and ritual servitudes � koranic and
evangelical - and overwhelmingly regimented, disciplined and deceived by a host
of indigenous erroneous beliefs, faulty dogmas, half-truths, intoxicating
mythologies, life-denying superstitions, theological entrappings, mystifying
fictions, unknown foundational assumptions, pipe-dreams, fantasies,
charlatanisms, junk science and a flood of nonsense.  In this regard African
policy-makers should recall the ideals of the French Revolution: down with
paternalistic, autocratic and despotic kings and fear-mongering, deceitful and
fraudulent merchant-priests. Translated into this region at the present time -
obscured and disfigured by foreign metaphysical symbols - on top of the African
agenda freedom thinkers, lovers and fighters should put (1) `deprivatizing,
defragmenting and civilizing African states' and (2) `desacralizing,
secularizing and decolonizing African cultures', for a less totemic, more
cosmopolitan, non-Abrahamic, truly enlightened, scientifically-informed and much
less patriarchal self-determined and self-empowered post-colony, in search of
the superior genuine and purified meta-African, achieving the highest human
possibilities.

Science, which should neither be demonized, idolized or worshiped, has never
been the forte of the spiritually contaminated African human animal and can
never be under current pre-modern overreligious knowledge systems, particularly
science as a way of thinking and as a method of evidence and reasoning, that, if
allowed to run free, would certainly transform the very cultural underpinning
and identity of the continent.  The modernization of these old-fashioned
systems, as the backbones of any mode of modernity, requires in priority the
modernization of our mental and intellectual costumes. This process is
essentially the passage from closed, self-confirming, faith-based, customary,
totalizing or terrorizing knowledge systems � propagated by bigoted and
barbarous ecclesiasts and mysterious `witch-doctors' - to essentially liberal,
falsifiable, facts-based, scientifically-established, technically-proven and
innovative knowledge systems (not a single new god in the last 1000 years!!). In
these uninhibited systems scientific knowledge can be construed as a theory of
the real and as a technology of truth and understood as the epistemological
foundation of any form of Afro-modernity. It is also the passage from the `Book
of Scripture' to the `Book of Nature' and from the submission to the white man's
colonizing gods to the more authentic African stuffs.

The key to an African revival or Renaissance is the breaking of the reigning
hegemonic order, basically regulated and sustained by Islam and Christianity �
two medieval phallocratic backward solitudes and perverted obscurantist
establishments � living in the secluded past, thriving on holy lies, absurd
fabrications, fears, mirages, delusions, false hopes and subservient obedience
and, genealogically, on the non-African narcotics, values and moralities of
ancient middle Eastern `slave' mindsets and worldviews.

Historically, science has proven to be too toxic, troubling, unsettling or
destructive for a region whose knowledge systems are plagued with spirituo-,
mystico-, magico-, abrahamo-, euro- and phallo-centricity, that excessively
seeks comfort in historical debris, bogus revelations, pseudo prophecies,
imaginary deities, ancestors' spirits, phony limbos, made-up angels,
mind-boggling miracles, wonderful heavens, amazing demons, implausible
resurrections�and other strange and unconscious chimeras, taboos and biases,
providing ample material for Freudian theses. It is a region that fell prey to a
gigantic fraud and misfortune and that babbles abusively in the invention of
hypothetic other-worlds and after-lives, which confines the minds, poisons or
vampirizes life, drags Africans outside nature and denies or weakens this
worldly existence. It also wears down the natural self, consumes time and
precious resources, drains valuable energies, devalues the body, camouflages the
discovery of the earth, lessens control over natural environments and erects
interreligious barriers, which split communities and undermines Pan-African
solidarity.  Uncovering an original Afro-modernity, distinct from the
North-Atlantic style, requires liberating and supporting the few progressive,
autonomous, scientific, secular and free thinkers on the continent, which
entails unashamedly blaspheming in every meeting, on every wall, on every CoP,
network and blogging site, with an unorthodox radical neo-narrative.

Science in Africa has to become defiantly offensive and utterly heretical and
sacrilegious to be effective and win over the two great non-African pathetic
phallocracies that deplete the African spirit and vitality and dampen African
innovation, as the current state of a self-alienated region amply demonstrates.
Muslim and Christian cosmic visions and phantasms, masquerading as divine
revelations, are not helpful and absolutely not needed in Africa, as the degree
of human development of Finland, Japan and Singapore, for example, abundantly
demonstrates, for they constitute insidious obstacles to cognitive development
and to the emergence of scientific ways of constructing and ordering realities.
These anachronistic vestigial phallocracies, oppressive machineries of churches
and mosques and institutionalized captive systems of mental cruelty, where
escape is nearly impossible or statistically insignificant, flourishing on
selling the shameless notion of personal immortality, impact sublimely and
negatively on all aspects of African life, including in unsuspected places, such
as in agriculture where repeated long periods of fasting, numerous religious
holidays, prayers for rain, faith in providence, belief in humans as
supernatural beings, women's banned inheritance and ownership of land, fear of
ungodly bio-engineering, dismissal of scientific facts and rejection of
common-sense truths, etc. are contributing to hunger, poverty and
underdevelopment. They also impact positively in many respects as they fill a
basic human need and provide some soothing intelligibility to a fundamentally
incomprehensible tragic world.

Part of the solution, in addition to economics and politics, for going beyond
the trivial, superficial realities, entrenched mental habits, close-mindedness,
demagogueries, populist pomposity, stubborn views, narrow provincialism,
conventional system of thought, confounding appearances, mythical taming canons,
self-deceptions, self-flagellation, wishful thinking, intellectual torpor,
inflationary rhetoric, circular or tautological arguments, feel-good meetings
and ceremonial entertainment, is to become compassionately disrespectful of
long-established authorities, roll Imperial-Doctrinaire-Contemptuous Islam and
Hebraic-Pauline-Constantinian-Roman Christianity out of Africa � two
proselytizing religions of decadence - and battle magical witchcraft and
mystical shamanism, which would open the way to superior insight, understanding
and awareness and to a distinctive version of Afro-modernity, honoring
unbelievers and infidels.  This paradigmatic shift toward modern ways of knowing
and acting requires championing the scientific method, the rule of technique and
innovation as well as promoting decisive scientific arbitrations, increased
technical mediations and a redefinition of STI's relationships with religious,
cultural, social and economic life.  For this shift to occur there is a need to
better appreciate modern science, not as a Christian crime, but as a method of
both calculative and subversive thinking and as a means of achieving the
systematic unmasking and renovation of conventional / medieval / pre-modern
realities. This call for re-cosmologizing, re-mythologizing, `re-prophetizing',
re-charlatanizing and re-directing the evolution of a mutilated empirical
reality toward a truly `African' future, emancipated from the sacred relics of a
convoluted history.

African science policy makers have to design sustainable visions, strategies and
policies to let the scientific spirit out of the bottle, fight medievalism,
drive a new relationship between Africa and the emerging modern cosmos, forge a
new engagement with the naked world, de-technocratize the mostly empty
development discourse in science and practice the science of the `hammer'.


Jacques L Hamel
Scientific Affairs Officer
UNECA
Profile:   http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueshamel
jachamel@...

Hi Everyone

We are looking for individuals/SE organisations which work in the area of disabled access who would be interested in taking part in a CISCO teleconference seminar between the UK and China hosted by i-genius and British Council in London (and Guangzhou) on the morning of Thursday 3^rd June (3 hours).

Theme: disabled access to public services e.g. education, employment, healthcare, transport, sport, plus other areas

It’s a great opportunity to showcase your work internationally, take part in a unique exchange and make connections in UK and China. The seminar will be translated and filmed. We are looking for a broad range of organisations including mental health. Designers are also welcome.

Please contact me if you would like to take part or if you know of other relevant people/organisations.

Thank you

Tommy Hutchinson

Founder & CEO

i-genius: World Community of social entrepreneurs

London + Tokyo

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7690 8232

Mobile: +44 (0) 7947 881 474

http://www.i-genius.org

http://www.i-geniusacademy.com