(Written by Pamela McLean) Dadamac is an unusual hybrid of an organisation. It is based on a rich network of personal friendships and practical projects, plus careful thought and analysis.
Its beginnings lie with two Nigerian friends of mine (the late Peter Adetunji Oyawale and John Dada). They both lived in the UK for several years then went home to work with their local communities. Their practical projects became interwoven with my complementary interets in education and the Internet. Our friendships, combined with my related working holidays and reality checks in Africa, plus much activity on the Internet, emerged into something called Dadamac,
Often whe we talk about "Dadamac" doing something we are referring to several people in the Dadamac community or network - the particular people involved depends on what we are doing.
Legal structures and informal collaborations
At some point informal networks need to become formal organisations. Anything involving financial value needs to be accounted for, transparent and legally correct. We therefore have a registed company, Dadamac Limited and a registered charity, Dadamac Foundation, so everything we do financially is done properly. However Dadamac's activities and interests are often related to non-monetary value. This means that what we value most tends to happens in our knowledge sharing spaces: Dadamac OK, Dadamacademy, and various other informal meeting places used by the Dadamac Community.
Local and gobal
Dadmac now has connections and relevance way beyond the two initial projects in Nigeria. The Dadamac community includes people in many countries who are contributing to the creation and sharing of knowledge. Dadamac is genuinely "glocal", connecting with local champions in various countires, but global in its perspective.
Rich in things of real value
Dadamac is tremendously rich in things of value that don't show up on balance sheets - such as trust, mutual understanding, networks of people, "ways of doing things", channels of communication, cross-cultural collaboration, knowledge, practical experience, insights and ideas.
Dadamac is not just about Africa and local projects. It is also about more widely relevant knowledge regarding connections between people, using the Internet to share information (and help each other) and deep systemic change. The lessons we have learned through years of using the Internet for working together at a distance are relevant in many other situations requiring collaboration.
More like a community than an organisation
It's hard to say where Dadamac starts or ends because it's a bit like an extended family, with many interconnections and shared ideas and information. The best way to get to know us is to spend time with us - which you can start doing by exploring the onging stories here at http://www.dadamac.net.
If someone says they are a part of the Dadamac community then they probably are. However if someone claims to speak on behalf of Dadamac don't assume that's true. Check back here, or ask me, before you take what they say too seriously.
Welcome to Dadamac