guest column

By Anita Gurumurthy
30 December 2004
As gender activists call for an inclusive knowledge society that respects diversity, recognizes the integrity of local knowledge and cultures, and allows the assertion of women’s rights to information and communication, paradoxically, the articulation of such ethical foundations is circumscribed by economic frameworks that do not recognize the language of ethics. Multi-stakeholder platforms have not really meant much in terms of gains for civil society, as was witnessed in the first phase at WSIS.

Powerful corporations are busy patenting software as a way of entrenching their dominance in the global information economy, says David Heath; unless we stop new laws being pushed through in Europe.

27 August 2004
Alberto Nardelli
For thousands of years, the oceans and mountain ranges formed almost
insurmountable geographic barriers – keeping cultures and people apart,
issues isolated and the pace of change slow. However, over the last fifty
years, and especially the last ten, developments in ICTs have wired the
world, bringing at least those of us lucky or wealthy enough to be connected
into a global village. Satellite news and entertainment networks broadcast
events and (sometimes homogenous) culture from one corner of the planet to
the other.

26 July 2004
By Royal D Colle
India’s Mission 2007 initiative reflects the confidence in the positive changes that can come from timely and relevant information and communication services in rural communities, writes Professor Emeritus Royal D Colle of Cornell University.

14 June 2004 by Bildad Kagai
They share so much in common that one wonders why it is taking so long for them to find each other.

The students of the University of Development Studies, Navorongo campus in Ghana face a constant challenge: pursuing their degrees and staying aware of current events in an community with no Internet access and only one TV and radio station. Kofi Mangesi reports.

14 August 2002 by Andrew Greene Jr.

iEARN Sierra Leone is a member of the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN), a non-profit global network that enables young people to use the Internet and other new technologies to engage in collaborative educational projects. Andrew Greene Jr., national coordinator of iEARN Sierra Leone, writes about the challenges of running a successful youth technology programme in a war-torn nation.

27 June 2002 by Jayne Cravens

Jayne Cravens of the United Nations Volunteers programme makes the argument that employing volunteers is key to the success of many ICT initiatives.

16 May 2002 by Anuradha Vittachi

Anuradha Vittachi, director of OneWorld International Foundation, discusses how the Internet can empower people in ways not found in today's mainstream media.