Being chosen as the 2015 Google fellow was and still is a surreal moment for me. Especially because I did not expect it and never thought out all the applicants I would be chosen. I would like to share my journey with you as to how I landed this great opportunity.
The beginning
I was in the process of looking for a job as well as thinking of ways to raise funds for my postgraduate studies when an e-mail from a Shawna Finnegan came through. The subject title was “Google Africa Policy Fellowship with APC”, and that’s where it all began.
The interview
I was told to wear professional attire and high heels with manicured toes, by my family and friends’. It was a bit uncomfortable but it was my first real interview for a real job and I had to make it happen. I walked through the lovely garden at the APC’s offices in South Africa and nearly tripped on my stiletto heel. I was greeted with smiles from Emilar Vushe and Shawna Finnegan.
Being born and bred in the transformative and democratic South Africa, I actively chose to be conscious about my surroundings, our development (socially and economically), as well as the democracy that was promised to the people of the country. Adopting a cognizant lens has enabled me to understand that as much as South Africa has made substantial progress in many spheres in the country more work needs to be done.
With my own analysis of the climate of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in South Africa, I have acknowledged that there are challenges and opportunities in this sector. The world is becoming an increasingly networked space of information. This means that economic development and growth is directly proportional to the advancement of ICT infrastructure.
The progress that South Africa has made in the ICT sector is evidenced through the expansion of mobile telephony, broadband infrastructure and access to Wi-Fi connection in most urban parts of the country. Despite this progress, there is more to be done to ensure that South Africa’s ICT sector expands even further to foster economic development and ensure universal access. Advancement in South Africa’s ICT sector is seen through government services like e-Government, by government agencies like South African Revenue Authority (SARS) and the Department of Home Affairs. South Africa’s financial sector is ranked amongst the most sophisticated in the world owing to use of ICT through cell phone banking and internet banking, which has made banking faster and cheaper. Significantly, ICT has made it relatively secure.
It is worth noting that a large majority of South Africans have no access to the internet and broadband services, thus showing that the digital divide remains a challenge. The South African Constitution recognizes the right to access to information by all citizens. Thus the internet should not be a preserve of a select few but a right universally accessed to not only increase literacy rates but also improve education, healthcare and economic growth.
Currently South Africa is facing the issue of universal accessibility of ICTs relating to the digital divide, where the gap is growing wider. The divide is partly due to social and economic inequalities in the country, however government and private companies are not doing enough to contribute to the growth of digitization. The poor are the most disadvantaged when it comes to access to the internet. The price that comes with being on the right side of the digital divide is prohibitive to most South Africans especially in previously disadvantaged groups. Consequently private companies have a monopoly on the industry and are thus manipulating the ICT sector to increase their profits as opposed to ensuring ICT growth in the country.
It goes without doubt that South Africa, like most countries in Africa, is battling with ensuring affordable ways for people to access ICTs, but with the growing analysis from civil society and the public regarding ICT, makes one can anticipate more discourse that aims to bring just solutions to the current problems and shortfalls. The way in which South Africa positions itself regionally and internationally sends the message that it is pro-democratic and human rights, and I believe this is also a sector that it needs to put those principles to practice.
Internet, security and freedom of expression
A week after my appointment at APC I was invited to join the annual staff meeting which was held in Kruger National Park. This was a great opportunity for me to meet everyone because it would have probably been the only opportunity in a few months to come, or even years. At the staff meeting I took away so many gems of knowledge that caused a paradigm shift and also reemphasized my previously held beliefs on issues of human rights.
As a new staff member at APC, the staff meeting made me understand and appreciate the issues and work that APC deals with and advocates for. I left with a greater understanding of the organizational values and the ethos that ran though each and every individual that made APC.
APC has a unique set up where the staff come from different parts of the world, and the diversity in the group resonates in the way in which we view things. In my evaluation I appreciated the diversity mainly because in the field of human rights advocacy, organizations must understand the human rights are not universal and the mix of people at APC offer that dimension where difference is embraced and not attacked. This leads to the concepts around feminism, human rights and the internet. My thoughts on these are summed up on the response I gave to APC during my interview for the fellow position, which is:
A feminist internet is an information space that allows plurality of ideas and exchange of as diverse views as possible. It does not promote male chauvinism and so it is devoid of sexism and advocates women emancipation, by combating and deconstructing prejudice against women. It would not be a space that thrives on a dichotomy between men and women with a bias towards women but a celebration of both genders, all races and sexualities. In a nutshell a feminist internet, in essence, is a platform that is free of prejudice and hate speech which promotes tolerance and freedom of expression.