[Imc-africa] dakar concerns

[vally_x at nadir.org]

Hi Nicolas! It is unfortunate that I cannot affort the time to write an 
extensive mail to reply to your mail below. But then I'll try to do so as much 
as the short time at my disposal can permit. I'll try to include a couple of 
links to help give you more access to information.
I would rather put most of the the links at the end of the page to avoid 
confusion in reading.


1-You are wrong to assert that "organising the event lurches
 towards the question of funds" as the Organsing has been going on for six 
months now and the question of fund only came in the last few weeks, in effect 
it has been the very last of things to deal with. You will see that in the 
links I'll mention later all from the ARCHIVES OF YOUR INDYMEDIA mailing list 
INDYMEDIA SA. Content have been discussed, representation(mobilisation) have 
been discussed and the process have been going on all this while.

2-Your are wrong to assert that there have been "very little discussion has 
focused on the conference itself, its programme and objectives". For that is 
what has been happening  the last 6months.

Here is a short extract from one of the material on the twiki pages:

[.The long term perspective is for African activists to Organise imcs all over 
the continent and use them for their struggle for a better society as well as 
an example for an alternative way of organising society (consensus & non-
hierarchy) to enhance participatory democracy. Which will in turn lead to a 
more Just and equitable society. 

Immediate perspective .We hope to sow the knowledge of imc amongst the few 
activists that we will get contact with leaving in Africa. To be able to 
discuss, clarify and explain what indy is all about. Especially the difference 
between indymedia and what is popularly known in Africa as independent media. 
As, while these independent media in Africa kind of focuses mostly on 
criticising the government; indymedia goes the extra length to offer 
possibility for the participation of every member of the society; thus taking 
away the limited option of just having those out of government to work their 
way into government as has been the results with the work of some of these 
independent media activity. Indymedia goes down to propose an option that will 
improve the structure of society and not only to deal with goverment 
malpractices . With the workshops that we plan to Organise during 
the "Boundaries to Bridges tour" we hope to : Clarify these things and that 
when the tour ends in March-2004 we should have in the continent a handful of 
people that have got the GRASP of what indymedia is all about, how it functions 
and what is the contribution it can bring in raising political awareness in the 
continent and enhancing the development of the society. Then in the future this 
continent based activists will be at the forefront of spreading indymedia in 
the continent and other activists around the world can support them when the 
need arises.]
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ShortAndLongTermPerspectivesOfIndymediaAfri
ca

 
3- You are wrong to make the assertion that "when what it is that will occupy 
the few that will attend for two-weeks is actually quite unclear". As that has 
been discussed again and again. Drung his last six months which a look atthe 
links from your achieves will go to confrim.

4-Yout are wrong to assert that the "The conference has been
 suggested as a technical workshop" . For not even the working draft of what 
will happen in those 14days suggest that. 

Extract from draft for the 14days 
[proposal Calendar for the March 1-14, when the focus of the tour is indymedia. 
We plan to use this period to run serious workshops about indymedia. 


Monday toWednesday-March 1-3 ; arrival/socialising of activists. 

Thursday-March 4; Self-introduction / restructuring of agenda 

Friday-March 5; -Presentation of The history and structure of indymedia. 
Presentation on Alternative Media is and Presentation on Formal Consensus. 
Saturday-March 6 :Workshop on Openposting and site admin, list admin, IRC . 
Sunday-March 7 : watching of imc-made films. 
Monday-March 8 : Audio and audio streaming 
Tuesday- March 9 : Video and video streaming 
Wednesday- March 10: Basics on free-software/opensource; concept and how it 
works. 
Thursday- March 11 : Workshop on Online security 
Friday-March 12 : Discussion on Independent maintenance of local imc with 
reference to self funding. 
Saturday-March 13 : Alternative Media Festival Party 
Sunday- March 14 : Closing of Conference/ Alternative Media festival 
]

http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/Draft


-5.Here again is another assertion that have nothing to do with the reality of 
the preparation this far noh has any reason to have been make [The
 political agenda for the conference is entirely absent and subsumed by
 presumptions of African neediness and northern activists' benevolence.
]

-Take a while and look at the twiki page develop in the frame of the tour of 
which the conference is a further development
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/BtB
  
-You could also look at the archives of the imc-africa list were lots othis 
discussions also took place
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-africa/

 
-Below are some links  managed to assemble from the archives of indymedia South 
Africa that can help everyone acqauint themselves with both the evolution and 
development of the concept of the conference. 



IDEAS AND DISCUSSION ABOUT IMC IN AFRICA WHICH WILL LEAD LATER TO THE TOUR THAT 
WILL THEN BRING THIS WHOLE CONFERENCE WITHIN IT'S FRAME starts from here and 
goes all the way to the imc-african list. This are all from the archives of imc-
sa

-Jay's first mail
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2002-July/subject.html

-Jay's mail to Afrcian imcs
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2002-September/000708.html

-Need to creat a list where to discuss how to handle (Imc africa lists)
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2002-December/000792.html



-Effords at updating people on the discussions
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-January/000799.html

-More infromation being passed arround all with the intern to push imc growth 
and development in Africa
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-January/000800.html

-Discussion the ideas and issues on how to go forawrd with indymedia in africa
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-January/000801.html


The Begininig of the discussions leading to this conference
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-May/000890.html

Call for network wide  IRC meeting on tour 
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-July/000946.html

Logs of network meetings
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-July/000947.html


more on irc meetings
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-August/000966.html

And update on more developments and proposal for next meeting
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-sa/2003-October/000996.html

Best regards
Sphinx

ps: i'll be ready to answer any questions on the issue






Quoting nicolas dieltiens <nicolas at red.org.za>:

> 
> Dear all, for a two-week conference that's scheduled to begin at the end of
> the month, very little discussion has focused on the conference itself, its
> programme and objectives. Everyone on-list has been scurrying around for
> funds to make it happen when what it is that will occupy the few that will
> attend for two-weeks is actually quite unclear. The conference has been
> suggested as a technical workshop, and 9 volunteers are to offer workshops on
> skills still to be determined for 12 or less IMC-africa participants. If this
> is all the Dakar conference is hoping to achieve, I could think of better
> ways to spend our efforts and their money.
> 
> Perhaps some responses could clarify my concerns, but at the moment the
> conference hasn't been conceptualised and organising the event lurches
> towards the question of funds. Let's better re-schedule and conceptualise the
> conference before exasperating volunteered contributions. I'd really be a
> reluctant participant in a conference of 6 with 9 workshop facilitators - for
> two-weeks (the count recommended recently by Jay (IMC Philadelphia)). The
> political agenda for the conference is entirely absent and subsumed by
> presumptions of African neediness and northern activists' benevolence.
> 
> regards
> 
> Nicolas
> Indymedia sa
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