by Virginia Kapembeza
The World is undergoing an “information revolution” through the use of the Internet, where messages can be sent a the globe in less time than it takes to drop a letter in the post.
The same information can be sent to more than one thousand people for the same low cost. Internet is cheaper than o forms of telecommunications and allows access to a huge amount of information, and has the potential to narrow the existing North-South information gap. Its reliance on technology, however, may make it less accessible and much more expensive in the South than in the developed world.
John Makala of the Centre for Development Information in Lusaka, Zambia says, “Information-based production will increasingly elude developing countries and consequently exclude them from advanced manufacturing and world trade – thus further exacerbating their poverty.”
Mukela is supported by Babacar Fall, of the Dakar-based Pan African News Agency (PANA) who says the rapid development of Internet may leave Africa behind and the ensuing gap will prove much more difficult to close eventually. Fall’s views are based on the realisation that institutional changes in telecommunications are critical, but these are still to happen in many countries:
PANA, however, is seen as a launching pad for balancing the information order and intends to use Internet for South, South communication. In July last year, it went on-line and expects to have a World-Wide Web page where they will provide information by subscription.
Panos Briefing: The Internet and the South: Superhighway or Dirt-track says using Internet would reduce several weeks’ research to about half an hour. Internet, however, is bound to remain inaccessible in the developing world where, contrary to requirements of good quality telephone lines, and fast computers and modems, there are old and unusable lines.
In non-English speaking countries, some people feel Internet will remain a domain of the privileged as it uses the medium of communication. Yet others feel that Internet could become yet another tool that the ill to dominate the cultures of the developing world like television does.
Chris Albertyn of the South Africa-based Environmental Justice Networking Forum does not agree and says it probably the best opportunity to counteract this perceived threat.
Despite Albertyn view, it is highly unlikely that the South will be as competitive in the dissemination of its own information and the imbalance will remain. Lotte Brauballe of the Centre for Human Rights in Botswana says that the imbalance about the South will be there, it will be mostly based on Northern and Western source from their perspective.
The non-respect for territories that Internet and its ability to evade censorship may also have repercussions. Some syndicates ma communicate through it and their businesses may flourish” recorded messages. In South Africa recently, police investigations discovered that paedophiles in the country are doing Internet to link up and may have lured many children.
However, Ge fact cannot be disputed that the Internet has a lot to offer to not only North-South but also to South-South communication. Such access will greatly empower people. In Africa, those campaigning for electronic communications are mostly NGOs and research institutions whose work is made much easier by the improved communications.
There are several advantages to using Internet. Messages can be sent to anyone who subscribes to a network. Internet also provides access to an ever-expanding base of information shared between Internet host computers and people with the same concerns can discuss various issues and share conferences.
In southern Africa, Zambia’s The Lusaka Post, is available on the World-Wide Web, and Internet users are now able to access and read it from anywhere in the world. Access to the information highway is also increasing with doctors in the country’s rural hospitals reportedly seeking specialist advice through Internet. It is also reported that doctors in Zambia used Internet to communicate with Zaire on the Ebola virus and suspected similar cases in the country.
Journalists could also gain a lot from having access to Internet. They can receive information from different news agencies and also use Internet to feed information about their own countries to
The Namibia-based Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) has a programme to provide regional media with access to the Internet. This provides journalists in the region with news on the region and internationally. The arm of MISA providing access to Internet is called MI~ANET and has proved quite popular with regional media.
Zimbabwe’s first electronic communication means, Microcomputer Access for NGOs (MANGO), was initiated in 1988 by five NGOs, one of whom is SARDC. The: main objective was to enable these NGOs and a few individuals in Zimbabwe to communicate amongst themselves. It has since grown to host 2 sub-nodes MISANet (University of Zimbabwe network) and Healthnet (Ministry of Health and its provincial medical offices).
MANGO accesses Internet through SANGONeT in South Africa where it receives Internet conferences from Association of Progressive Communications (APC) which is an NGO-oriented Internet service. Run by volunteer staff, one of whom is the SARDC’s Head of Programme of Information Management Systems, Memory Sachikonye, MANGO’s running costs are very low making it more accessible to individuals and organizations who would like to communicate with the world by-mail.
Internet is described as “nothing more than a means of transport for digitised information” through a collection of computers linked to cables like telephone lines but its speed and eventual cost effectiveness have opened new boundaries for human communication.
It started out as an international network connecting libraries, education institutions, governments and the military in the United States. Today more and more people from around the world including Africa are “hooking onto Internet”.
Panos says with over 6.8 million documents available on the World Wide Web, many southern countries are harnessing it but others are likely to be bypassed. However, more investment in cheaper telecommunications will ensure that Africa ceases to be just a consumer of information from the North but becomes a credible provider. (SARDC)
