Why is it important for Africa to be in virtual worlds?

We are thinking about this every single day since I joined Second Life (R) in March 2007, and we, as a registered non-profit in South Africa, challenge ourselves NOT to rationalize. We need to be very critical, and very analytical - and at the same time, we need to keep captured the spirit of innovation, energy and enterprise... creativity. We need to pursue sustainability above all, and real-life benefit.

Essentially, we are required to define our own place as early-adopters; the heart of our virtual presence. We have taken on the task to explore, to investigate...and to build a corporate identity beyond our immediate region, and our immediate Africa. We are in a 'virtual Africa' already, with blogs and with mobile applications. We are connected already in social networks. We are in a world that is virtual - right here...on the African continent.

The question is maybe, rather... Why is it important for virtual worlds' advocates and those embracing the evolution of 3D technology as platform of the future, to be in real Africa? Now, in my opinion, THAT is a valid question! It speaks to the heart beat of our humanity...

Tags: africa, life, second, uthango, virtual

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Permalink Reply by Alanagh Recreant on December 12, 2007 at 8:26am: Oh, some unashamed advertising (but also news)... visit our News section for an important press release about Virtual Africa's sim development in Second Life.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sophrosyne Stenvaag on December 12, 2007 at 11:13am: Okay, I went on a bit in answering this: here's what I came up with...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by John Carter McKnight on December 12, 2007 at 11:49am: Congratulations on the progress with your sim! I'm looking forward to meeting you and getting to know your operation better. My semester ends this Friday, and then my time is pretty open for the next month.

I can't match Sophrosyne's eloquence, but I agree with her. I've been trying to make the case in my graduate program that virtual worlds are important to sustainability, and I've met with a lot of resistance.

In lowering the barriers to education and to democratic participation, to making scientific data immediately available and useful (the Kenyan national parks are using Google Maps overalid with data from animal tracking collars to plot elephant migrations in real time, to minimize conflicts between animals and farmers), to modeling economic plans and alternatives, to enabling entrepreneurship - virtual worlds and 3d web technologies are essential to overcoming the problems created by the world order of the Industrial Age.

Sophrosyne's right: Industrial Age technologies were largely about disempowerment and control, where virtual technologies are liberating. They're the key to addressing the power imbalances that need to change for Africa to rise. Congratulations to you for being a part of that!

Now I just have to convince my dean... :P; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alanagh Recreant on December 12, 2007 at 12:02pm: Thank you for your kind words.

It has taken the time of having a healthy baby to get us to this point, but that feels just about right if you are serious about 'mixing' realities and linking potential sponsors to real African social investment as opposed to feel-good brand-building with no real impact here, home..

Uthango has been in-world with the very specific strategy to influence our sustainability and increase revenue to our projects. Pursuing the inclusion of African (authentic) content from the word go has been our mantra. We are a diverse people and we have so much to offer the world.

In terms of sustainability and virtual worlds:In fact, my time in-world will be up if it is not a reality, because it would not justify the time I spend that could be channeled to traditional fund raising for real projects! Imagine the craze in which I pursue opportunities :)

Yes... looking forward to our delayed meeting! Hopefully, we will be able to help convince your dean ;)
You are not alone... never have been.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Draxtor Despres on December 12, 2007 at 12:52pm: Africa in SL: what a great project! People on the African continent would benefit greatly from bridging the digital divide, which I think SL is doing in at least the aspect of making international collaborations possible! Of course, laptops and fast connections have to go hand in hand here, but what is also thrilling is a cell phone client possibly coming mid 2008 for SL since I understand mobile phones are such an important part of networking in remote areas. I am personally thrilled to see Africa represented in SL as it is important for the world to become closer and we have to include all if we are serious on issues of true globalization (=benefiting the individual with good ideas and not only multinational corporations); ▶ Reply to This