Culture Trek

Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

.

My apologies for the lapse in writing. I have worked extremely hard at what feels like “spinning my wheels” since my return from Ghana. The one thing I looked forward to most upon my return was writing, yet it has consistently been forced to the bottom of the to-do list. For now, I offer you this excuse - I mean exercise - in frustration.

When I reached home on August 2nd, I was jumping out of my skin. I wanted to compile all I had learned in order to preserve my memories and allow every one I know to live vicariously through me. Most of all, I was desperate to find a way to empower my new Ghanaian friends. To do that would require money. To raise money required awareness. I got right to it.

First, I made a video of my time spent with the children at Have’s RC Primary School. My hope was to show the enormous mount of need there in order to raise funds for a new building. I put this short film together in about three days. Having never done it from scratch, much of that time accounted for my learning curve. Still, it looked nice enough and I was feeling pretty proud. I decided the best way to get the word out is to use, well, YouTube.  I mean really, isn’t YouTube the new evening news?

I downloaded some software to convert the file into an acceptable format and all was going well until…

Read the rest of this entry »

.

I’ve found my way back online after two weeks with little withdrawl… or so I thought. Signing on actually gave me butterflies.

I have been writing a great deal and will begin posting soon. For now, I can tell you that I have been working hard AND playing hard. I sleep little, eat a lot and today I met the village chief for the first time. He invited me for a celebration on Thursday in honor of my presence and in gratitude for all the items you have sent with me. Tomorrow I will be making donations to the school but I have been working on the farm otherwise. Amazing work they do there!

 You wouldn’t believe how much I have been learning. I love it here and will certainly feel a geat deal of sadness when I go. More news soon.

I hope you all are well.
Love,
Kim

.

A new form of post-election unrest, the Kibaki Tosha Tena Virus and the Odinga Raila Pop-up, has reared its ugly head, infiltrating technology, breaching Kenya’s borders and adding more frustration to the already troublesome mix.

As for the first virus, PreciseSecurity.com says:

Seeing this “KIBAKI TOSHA KIBAKI TENA” message during Windows logon means that you have been infected with W32.Baki.A. A worm that spreads via local, network and removable drives. It is known to promote a presidential candidate in Kenya and has a full message of:

“KIBAKI FOR PRESIDENT VOTE KIBAKI FOR A BETTER FUTURE. We need a person who have thought of tomorrow and willing to salvage our country .Kibaki have done so in the past five years. KIBAKI TOSHA TENA”

Read the rest of this entry »

David Kobia just went live with his new brainchild, I Have No Tribe. This site is dedicated to positive discourse on the Kenyan conflict from around the world and it has been met with great response in the form of debate, poetry, hope and support.

In early January, Kobia contributed to tech development of Ushahidi, a forum for civilian reporting on acts of violence through electronic means during the Kenyan government’s (recently lifted) ban on media. That project was the brainchild of bloggers Kenyan Pundit, White African, Afromusing, and Mentalacrobatics.

During this time of crisis, Kenyans have formed complex information networks, connecting and self reporting while traditional media access has been obstructed by the Kenyan government. Success has been notable but a core group of individuals have implemented something more. They are documenting and verifying the post-election violence from the ground up.

The following is a repost from Ory at Kenyan Pundit who asks that everyone please circulate this widely to help Kenyans bear witness to unreported violence. (Ushadidi means “witness” in Swahili.)

Read the rest of this entry »

.

Linda Szeto recently fired up a Village Volunteers group on Facebook. Over the past week, she and I have been trading questions and experiences, some of which I include here…

August 22

Hi Kim!
I went to Kenya through Village Volunteers this summer, and had the best time getting to know the people, environment, culture, languages, and most importantly, myself … I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about your trip. The memory box project does sound perfect for you. So many of the people still have not ever seen themselves in a picture before, so for anyone to have such a wonderful keepsake really touches my heart too. I’m getting excited for your trip vicariously!
Linda

I do have one question: As a vegetarian, I realize that I’ll probably have to make dietary concessions out of respect for those hosting a meal. What types of food are most popularly eaten and what would you suggest is the best way to retain respectful relations within the village if tastes are conflicting? I’m certainly willing to be flexible. I just have no idea what to expect.

Read the rest of this entry »