APC Africa Women Member Researches Women, Empowerment and ICTs in Africa

Kutoma Wakumuna, who is currently undertaking a PhD in Gender and Information Communication Technologies at Coventry University, is interviewed by Sylvie Niombo, APC Africa Women Co-coordinator.

Kutoma Wakumuna is a Zambian woman researching women and ICTs. She recently joined the APC Africa Women (AAW) network. She has published several research papers on gender and ICTs and also contributed to a case study for the “Women’s ICT-Based Enterprise for Development” project coordinated by the University of Manchester’s Institute for Development Policy and Management.

In this interview she talks about issues related to the use of mobile phones and internet for women’s empowerment in the continent.

Why did she choose to study women and ICTs?

“There were several interlocking reasons why I chose to study women and ICTs but one simple reason is that I have always taken an interest in the welfare of women. I have always been aware of the inequalities, struggles and challenges at different levels that women have faced especially in my country, Zambia, though of course not confined there alone.

Secondly as regards my interest in ICTs, I was fascinated by the internet when I just completed secondary school in the early 1990’s and thought it was a great instrument as one could do a lot with it; at that time it was mainly email for me. It was also in the 1990’s that the internet and mobile phones were really filtering in developing countries, particularly in Zambia. That fascination and the rhetoric surrounding the vast potential of ICTs and what they could do for women encouraged me to research women and ICTs,
particularly to assess the degree to which ICTs were advantageous for women in developing countries.”

Kutoma explains that another reason why she chose to study women and ICTs is because there seems to be a consensus at both the local and international level in terms of what ICTs can do for women’s empowerment and development.

“This is evident in the Zambia National ICT Policy (2005) and it can also be seen in the UN’s WSIS Declaration of Principles (2003). I therefore thought I would research how far this rhetoric goes towards the real-life realities of women on the ground, particularly those in underserved communities.”

Kutoma is not only focusing on mobile phones, but also on the internet, because according to her opinion and the literature so far, “these two ICTs have had a revolutionary impact right across the globe, although most literature gives more credit to the internet and rightly so. However, I did not want to confine myself to the internet alone but thought looking at the mobile phone would be a good idea as well because, mobile phones are the fastest-appropriated ICT in Africa, much more than internet is used”.

She argues that “due to the use of these two ICTs, communication has become faster and cheaper and the possibilities of creating networks far and wide are a reality. I know I could have focussed on the radio or TV for instance, which no doubt are important ICTs as well, but I rather thought I would focus on the two I have described which in a sense are new and bring new perspectives to the way people communicate and live life today. Besides, with the convergence of technologies these days, there is a blurring line between what I consider old ICTs like radio or TV for instance and new ICTs like the internet and mobile phones.

Today, people can listen to the radio or even watch TV via the internet. They can also do that via mobile phones. Of course these possibilities are a lot more expensive for a lot of people in Africa, but the potentials are there if and when harnessed properly.”

She also outlines the main challenges African women could face in using mobile phones.

“The main difficulties are expense for both the physical handset and also the expense in airtime. But some of the burdens of expense could be done away with when women use phones in a communal form where a community can purchase one mobile phone and contribute towards its maintenance. During my fieldwork, I discovered that women were actually willing to contribute towards such a venture. When I came across this I also realised that in a sense, women were willing to pay for a service that they understood had potential to help them and was relevant to their way of life.”

Why does she think that an ICT like a mobile phone may not be used to its full potential?

“There are various ways a mobile phone can be used in underserved and poor areas of African countries. In the long term, a mobile phone can also be used for internet purposes in these areas, for information searching and sharing as is often the case with the internet. What I have found is that it is mainly used only for communication purposes, especially between families and friends in such areas. Of course this is not a bad thing, especially as families, be they extended or nuclear for African women are of utmost importance. I feel a mobile phone can also be used for a variety of other services and aspects, but perhaps because there is lack of awareness of other ways of using the mobile phone, it might not be used as creatively as it ought to be.”

About her career plans, Kutoma says she would indeed love to go back to Africa.

“I am looking forward to working on projects that enhance and contribute to the betterment of African women. However, whether I will find such projects in Africa or elsewhere in the world is not something I can predict at the moment. I must add also that with all the advent of new technologies the world has indeed become very small. Sometimes these technologies see no geographical boundaries and allow people to work from anywhere in the world while serving a cause dear to their hearts. In my case Africa and the women of Africa are very dear to my heart, so it doesn’t matter so much whether I find work in Africa or elsewhere, as long as it is of service to African women.”

What does she think about the APC Africa Women Network?

“I think the ideals that APC stands for are my ideals. The fact that APC encourages the use of ICTs for development as well as equality with the obvious aim of achieving empowerment is exactly what I focus on. I believe that in this day and age of ICTs, women should engage in ICTs if they are to achieve some form of development. There is no ignoring the impact ICTs have and continue to have on people’s lives. African women are no exception. Therefore, if African women are to make any head-way in terms of development and consequent empowerment, they too must get on in the act of using ICTs not because it is fashionable but because it is now a way of life
without which development and empowerment cannot ensue. In this way APC has a major role to play and so far plays it well.”

Is the APC Africa Women Network going to help her achieve her goals?

“Through such an established network I can share my knowledge and subsequently contribute albeit in a small way to the development and empowerment of women in whichever way my skills might be helpful. Additionally, I do not only look at it from one perspective but I also think I can gain from APC in learning more about its achievements and how it has so far helped women, therefore improve on my already existing knowledge as well.”

Next steps for Kutoma include further orientation into the activities of APC, “after which I would hope to avail my research skills in whichever form APC sees necessary. I am keen to be a member and to contribute effectively to the organisation.”

Source: AAW