This is a world of contrasts. Walking home from work on my little dirt road I was first passed by a donkey cart carrying twigs and branches to be used as kindling, then one minute later a turn of the century (Yes I am referring to 2000-2001 era, and yes I think it’s now appropriate to do so) Mercedes no doubt with full A/C on, rolled past me kicking up dust in my eyes.
So in the spirit of contrast here is a work related Gambia Multiple Choice Question. Match these computer lab set ups with their respective institutions.
B. 10 un-networked workstations. Operating system, Windows 98. Each workstation has a working keyboard but the balls in the mice are degrading in quality. Various late 90’s 14-17” CRT monitors.
C. 1 server with 6 workstations, wirelessly networked. Operating system, Windows XP Service Pack 2. Each has a functional keyboard with new (but low quality) trackball mouse. 15” LCD panel screens.
1. The Gambia College
2. Marakissa Nursery School
3. NICE Internet Café
Correct Answers:
A. -> 3
B. -> 1
C. -> 2
One of the most frustrating things about ICT work in The Gambia is that donations and good will from NGOs lacks any coordination at a foundational level. That is how you get a nursery school with modern computers and The Gambia College struggles with Windows 98. This discrepancy exists despite the fact that it is The Gambia College is the place that trains all future teachers of The Gambia.
Now let’s take a look at computer lab –A-. In this case a Norwegian NGO has donated a complete set up for a new place called NICE Internet Café which bills itself as an institution that promotes “Energy Communication Education.” It’s a new operation and I their philosophy which is to create a computer lab completely powered by sustainable energy and software. The entire NICE building is powered by a large solar array which provides more than enough power for each day commercial of use. In addition they have chosen to use Ubuntu Linux meaning that all the software is free and updatable without any worries of Microsoft asking for serial numbers or piracy issues. I think Ubuntu is a project that has endless applications in the developing world, but as I stated in an earlier blog, I am not quite convinced that it is ready for the mainstream. Too many issues with limited off-line support documentation, installation of software, a cryptic filing system for the underlying system, and a heavy reliance on command-line tweaks to software still plague Ubuntu that is oh so close of its motto: “Linux for human beings.” It is close but no cigar, and in an environment when you need a darn good reason to go against the standards of “the big guy” close doesn’t make it.
The situation at The Gambia College is a real shame, and either the Government of The Gambia or a willing NGO should step in and make a donation to upgrade their system. There are plans to upgrade the computing system there, but they have been slow in coming and seem to focus mainly on server support. I think within the next year they hope to be able to give all staff and students a @college.gm e-mail address amongst other things. A focused upgrade to their labs where they instruct the teachers is also badly needed. A good PCV is on the job trying to coordinate all these things, but as everything else here it comes slowly slowly.
And then there is the nursery school that my counterpart, another PCV, and I have been working on setting up. The school is sponsored by a German city which has donated 7 recent laptops all sporting snazzy wireless networking cards. We have had a nightmare setting it all up, as is the Dao of Windows, but the fact that they have these machines at a nursery school leaves one feeling that they will be underutilized at such a low level institution. Yahoo! Mail here we come…
What does this all add up to? Like the Gambian’s quote above, I think I can sum it up in one word: Frustration. Where is the support for the larger institutions whose efforts will trickle down to the whole country? How much more effective would new computers be at The Gambia College versus a nursery school? Where is the top-level coordination to ensure that this doesn’t happen? Why do we have to continually “obtain” copies of Operating System, Office Software, and anti-virus packages when there are free alternatives? How can we promote close but no cigar Open Source software like Ubuntu Linux? Why isn’t Ubuntu Linux ready for the mainstream?
These are questions that are hard to answer and I feel like when asking them in rapid fire we risk a bunch of finger pointing. I leave with these questions open as I, along with the rest of the country, am still working on answers. I suppose that is why we are here as volunteers. And that my friends, is a focused look at a tiny part of ICT in The Gambia.
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The most incredible things happen in the world of contrast. When you are the most frustrated with the environment here, the magic seems to happen. I had a wonderful cross cultural experience the other day, the kind that I have been longing for since I came here, the kind I know is possible when one finds themselves abroad, and the kind that has been somewhat lacking during my time in The Gambia.
My evening runs have become a test of patience and mental focus, as the harassment I receive would otherwise overwhelm what is supposed to be a stress reliving activity. That means that I usually focus on my running and ignore the world around me. This past day I heard someone behind me yelling, "Hey man slow down, let me catch up to you. Hey! Please! Wait for me." I looked behind me and saw that it wasn't that I was going fast as much as he had a lot of ground to catch up. As he approached me his dress made him stand out from the rest of the typical, "Hey tubab, talk to me," type of disturbance, he was wearing running shorts and a running jersey.
We ended up running together for quite a while and his story was the type of inspirational material that would work well as an ABC after school special, if there was an ABC here. Like many Gambians will tell you, Sarjo said that life is not easy in The Gambia and his family is very poor. After compulsory school he decided it was time to try and help economically support himself as well as his family. He went into learning electrical systems and now is beginning to work on repairs in his village. He has been running in competition since 2000. Reading what little material he could find, he created his own training program that includes such rarities as an understanding of rest days and a healthy diet. He isn't able to travel far due to money constraints but he tries to enter as many competitions within The Gambia as he can. It was slow going at first, but recently he placed rather high in a competition and won a bag of rice and 500 dalasis. What did he do with the winnings? Like any good son who is thinking the whole before the self he gave the rice to his mother as well as a little bit of money.
I think one of the most fascinating things about the encounter was the honesty of his speech despite a lack of confidence with his English. When he spoke I could tell by the pacing of his speech and the way I could never interrupt him that he was nervous to trying English in such a casual setting. He would take time to formulate what he wanted to say in his head, and then just blurt it all in one long string of words. Despite his lack of confidence, he conversational English was quite good in my own humble opinion.
This kind of drive and determination I find lacking in many of the men his age, who seem to be more content listening to reggae and drinking tea than working for the betterment of their family, community, or country. If that sounds harsh, ask a Gambian who is older and I think they would say something similar. However, the picture does become a bit of a more ambiguous when you consider for the ever increasing mid-twenties crowd there aren't really a whole lot of job opportunities to be had. This is something the government will have to look into as a huge population boom has occurred here in the past 20 years or so.
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Check out some photos from my buddy just down the road. A couple of us on our Christmas tour of the beach are there.
2 comments:
Hold up, dude! I'm on my way!!!
hey choobfest, usually I feel like I catch you online to talk gmail chat the day you post. must have missed you...
Anyway I hope you're well. Miss ya bud
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