[UgaBYTES] [uwci-ct] Rural communication: Is there still a need for telecentres now that there are mobile phones?

[Ndaula Sulah]

Dear Readers,

We say in my mother's style of speech "Omunttu ssi ente" meaning "a human
being is not a cow", he never mooes in the same style or sound. He changes
frequently, in talk, sight, walk, ... And so are the problems he accounters.
Mobile technology promises a technology that is as mobile as human beings;
building on communication, the centre of development. With this it posses as
one of the icons driving this era we live especially if Francis Baccoa's
thoughts make sense here. He notes chicken dung drives the economy for every
moment; in the 1500 - 1600, he asserts, it was the campus, Gun powder and
printing <Polly shared the story with me when in Lusaka early this year>.
The chicken dung has two communication parts; campus and printing. And the
campus was mobile, so can one deduce the chicken dung driving our time is
the mobile phone!!! Secondly will mobile phony replace the thinking of
telecentres!!! Uhmmm...;)


For the time I have lived, I have found out that costructive thinking builds
on constructive thinking. This forced others to think that reality is built
on fiction. And then  follows, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne (both
Professors of Strategy and international mgt) assertion that today's
bussiness is a re-organization of the old or what is already existing
untapped in our environment, in their book the "Blue Ocean Strategy". But is
it itself a construct grounded by the scientific principle of "energy can
neither be created or destroyed". Gaining from the above preposition
requires socialization and simplified specialized resources. While the
mobile phony provides simplicity it's socialization levels may not have
reached the leveling that can terminate telecentres. At least not in the
next 10 years under conditions that mobile phony is working on socialization
possibilties and telecentres are watching on - enjoying the activities.

Simplicity makes me worry though. Telecentres have not communicated simple.
But the mobile phony is every day and is building from this simplicity to
complex. As a learmer of development communication, it was always emphasized
by my teacher, Ass. Prof Semaana; take it from simple to complex or design
it from simple to complex... mobile technologists heard it and practice it
thus their technology enlightment efforts are lower, telecentres are yet to
draw the leaf active. This angle means mobile phony can easily be the
chicken dung that replaced telecentres while we promote telecentres through
the window of diversity of services, content and technology enlightment. The
urgument here is relative growth for each in terms of users, services,
infrastructure and innovations that go cheaper within a short gestation
period everyday. Ofcourse public libraries have not gone brink with the
introduction of internet, but how many of the new innovations seat on the
old. Those which have survived innovate with innovators at relatively equal
rate.


Sandra, Sarah and Meddie bring out many angles of telecentre contributions
for which telecentres must survive the chicken dung. I do not like to repeat
any. But they don't sound exclusive to telecentres. And in fact mobile phony
promises a stylish penetration in those areas than today's offerings of a
telecentre. And at an increasing rate of penetration. Take for example the
idea of lasting solution for ICT4D access vs sustainability. The single
factor is what costs cheaper, what cost cheaper to serve life cycle costs,
what has a good plan for passing over the costs to the re-buyer and what has
increasing rates of innovations for cheaper services, infrastructure...?
Whatever takes the more yes, it promises the kick out of business for the
other or atleast in the niches if they work in the same area.  Patero when
he was finding the 80/20 principle, he did not think it would shape the way
individuals and groups think. But it is. It is much more than Marx's
capitalism. And for telecentres we need to find the 20% aspects that
distinguish us upto 80% from others including, in today's discussion the
mobile phony.

Lastly my leisure time fovourite writer (one of), Jack Canified noted in his
book "Success Principal: How to get from where you are to where you want to
be", that to share you have to own. Many other writers relate owning as a
natural prerequisite of sharing or giving. I agree too. And I extend it
though further. It is also a prerequisite for appropriation; appropriation
of technology. Mobile phony promised personal ownership and management of
technology. For long this remained a problem in telecentres with community
ownership stamped vague. But as mobile phony provides this answer the
community appreciation of the telecentres is bound to increase especially as
the telecentres sharpen the 80/20 focus. Ofcourse making telecentres more
relevant. But this may not be saying that superownership mobile phony gives
to individual will not remain it's cutting edge of its higher appropriation
than that given by telecentres.

But by now the world is excited about the Obama election, here in Uganda
it's making my president like a mayor!!! Isn't the mobile phony excitement
alike to us in telecentres? Let me take it from Andrew Mwenda, the Managing
Editor of "The Independent" - Uganda's monthly magazine. He notes in this
month issue, in the article  "If Americas don't change Obama, he will", that
the institution of the Americas presidency will not offer Obama the
achievement the world expects him. Not at least any different from what
president Clinton, Bush or McCain would. Simple he is president elect for
America not the world, he notes. But the proof that odds are beatable.
Raising above social limitations. Taking a leaf from the fallen heroes like
Malcom X, even though not their failures, is what Mr. Oboma will. And yes
under his "Yes we can" flag. But will he seat down and things happen; no if
he does that soon he will pass unnoticed. He must act the inspiration he has
brought in the world. So are the telecentres. But first let us identify the
80/20 focus and let us keep it changing to the focus better everyday. The
mobile phony provides the lessons of simplicity. Let us act simple in
services and within life requirements of an individual or else telecentres
remain the sat on technology.


Best Regards,
---
Sulah




On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 10:43 AM, Polly Gaster <polly.gaster at uem.mz> wrote:

> Yes, in our view telecentres and mobile phones are complementary. For
> instance, at this moment some telecentres that had no connectivity are now
> online via mobile phone modems and infrastructures, for the cost of a modem
> and ordinary pay-as-you-go phone cards - good synergy, don't you think?
> Polly
>
> ----
>
> Polly Gaster
> TICs para Desenvolvimento/ICT4D
> Centro de Informatica da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (CIUEM)
> Campus Universitario, Maputo, Mozambique
> e-mail: polly.gaster at uem.mz
> cel: +258-82-3264540
> tel/fax: +258-21-485779
> Skype: polly_gaster
>
>
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-- 
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