From the Information Society: Voices from the South
We invite you to join the
newly launched discussion list on 'Information Society: Voices from the South'.
Digital Opportunity Channel <http://www.digitalopportunity.org> of
OneWorld South Asia is launching this email- and Web-based discussion forum in
partnership with Bytes for All
<http://www.bytesforall.org>, a South Asian voluntary network.
Even as the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) process continues with the organization of
Preparatory Committee Meetings (PrepComs) and other regional consultation
meetings, many of the Information Society proponents, specially community
builders or networkers in the South, seem to be little aware of these
developments and have a distant or little involvement in the processes.
Our attempt is to bridge
this gap, to ensure that even as an individual or as a grassroots organization,
your voice is also heard. Though the present dynamics of Information Society
are being held within the realms of ICT (Information and Communication
Technology) practices that are entirely a domain of the North, we believe the
South too has a significant role to play and valuable experiences to share.
This platform,
"Information Society: Voices from the South", is based on a
realization of these facts, and is therefore run from the South, by Southern
organizations. It is open to anyone (even from the North) who is interested on
ICTs and Information Society issues in the developing countries.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO
ACHIEVE?
We aim to:
1. Help stakeholders from the South exchange ideas and debate
issues about the emerging information society and the WSIS.
2. Provide them with a platform to take their voices to policymakers
in order to influence national, regional and global strategies.
In real terms, this would
mean that,
- It would be a
time-bound, topic-based, objective-oriented discussion channel.
- Each month we would
select a topic and that topic would be critically analyzed, would be featured
with examples and best practices, would be discussed with challenges and
opportunities and would be highlighted with policy implications, preconditions,
successes and failures.
- All the discussions will
be streamlined in a summary report each month and would be presented to
concerned authorities and at various events where information society agendas
are being discussed, so that these can influence national, regional and global
strategies.
WHAT WILL WE DISCUSS?
There is a tentative theme
line for the discussions. We would attempt to deal with several broad topics
such as issues of access, gender and of rights and freedom in the context of
the information society. Among the questions the forum is expected to debate
are:
1. How does information society relate to
development and poverty alleviation?
2. How can indigenous knowledge and local
content be represented and preserved?
3. Why is it important to provide access to
information to women?
4. Should access be free in all cases? What
about sustainability of access-related projects?
5. Why and how diversity of opinions,
cultures, languages and perspectives need to be addressed on information
society agendas?
IS THERE ANY SCHEDLUE?
The discussions - which
are likely to continue until December 2003 - will be broken into time-bound
thematic modules. To begin with, we will focus on the following three themes:
- Knowledge societies
- Access/barriers
- Gender issues
Future themes for discussion
will be announced subsequently in the forum.
HOW TO JOIN?
Joining this discussion
list is very easy! Just send a blank email to: [log in to unmask]
On successful sign-up, you
will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Please follow
the instructions in the email to activate your subscription. This is a security
measure to prevent you from being signed up by someone else.
Once you activate your
subscription, you will start receiving mails posted to the discussion list. You
can fully participate in the list through emails itself, or through the forum
site at <http://www.dgroups.org/groups/IS/index.cfm>
WHERE TO CONTACT?
The discussion list is
being moderated by Partha Pratim Sarker, Editor, Bytes for All.
If you face any subscription
problem, please contact Partha at
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or Kanti Kumar, Editor, Digital
Opportunity Channel at <mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
For more information about
the forum, visit <http://www.digitalopportunity.org/discussion/wsis/>
We look forward to your
active participation in this discussion list.
ABOUT BytesforAll
Bytes for All
<http://www.bytesforall.org> is a voluntary online network from South
Asia and tries to portray people-oriented alternative ICT practices in the
region.
ABOUT Digital Opportunity
Channel
Digital Opportunity
Channel is a joint endeavor of OneWorld
<http://www.oneworld.net> and the Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org> and is dedicated to ICT for
development issues.
Kanti Kumar
Editor, Digital
Opportunity Channel
www.digitalopportunity.org
OneWorld South Asia
New Delhi, India
Email:
[log in to unmask]
Clemencia
Rodriguez
Associate
Professor
Department
of Communication
University
of Oklahoma
610 Elm
Avenue
Norman
OK 73019 USA
405 325
1570