DRC: the internet is not attractive?

In the streets of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is not uncommon to see signs that indicate “internet cafes”, places where generally more young adults can be found. If people are amazed by mobile phones, is this not true of the internet?

For approximately US$ 1, residents of Kinshasa can browse the internet for an hour in any internet cafe. There are very few civil society organizations that have an internet connection at their office. Sometimes, when it exists, it is available on 1 or 2 computers and shared between several employees requiring a lot of juggling.

This reality is no different for many participants in the National Strategic Workshop held last September in Kinshasa, under the project “Strengthening the strategic use of ICTs by women to end violence against women and girls “ of the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP).

During a small-group discussion on the information and communication technology (ICT) tools we use, we noticed that very few participants use more than e-mail on the internet. A handful of participants pointed out that the internet isn’t limited to email. Very few mentioned the use of search engines, discussion groups, instant messaging, etc. Tools like Skype and wiki seemed new to many and evoked enthusiasm.

A clear desire to be trained in the “internet world” emerged amongst participants in order to see how internet applications and tools can be useful in their daily work. For them, it was necessary to make the connection between the internet and the struggle to end violence against women and girls.

This strategic workshop was just a start. Participants’ thirst to learn more was not quenched completely because the goal of the workshop was not to do ICT training.

When the Feminist Tech Exchange (FTX) was presented, questions and specific needs arose. There was hope to have digital cameras and computers to apply the concepts they will learn in the upcoming FTX. For example, basic training needs include the use of search engines, Skype, SMS and others.

On the question of why they were not using most of the ”popular” internet tools, some participants mentioned lack of information, training, funding for surfing the internet and also a lack of interest.

A discussion ensued in the three small groups on internet culture. Where is our curiosity? Why don’t we want to go beyond what we already know about the internet, beyond “traditional” email?

Participants felt that local culture greatly influences how women can be especially apprehensive towards technology. For example, in homes, women are generally less interested in electronics, and they prefer to have their children deal with technological matters. Is technology too complicated?

No, some participants responded. Instead, they suggested that Africa’s oral culture explains cell phone success in some countries in contrast to the internet.

One of the groups confirmed that we don’t have the “culture of writing” in Africa and posed the question “how many books do we read each day? “ .

The discussion ended on an engaging note, because all participants wanted to be trained and learn about the Feminist Tech Exchange schedule and selection process.

We responded that the FTX is actually an opportunity to “demystify” applications and internet tools and to use them to end violence against women and girls. We also invited participants to get involved in the campaign “Take Back The Tech!”