This is an open letter to anyone who has an interest in Dadamac, and its past, present or future.
Depending on how you measure things Dadamac to date has been an amazing success, or a spectacular failure. It's time to take stock and decide the structure and direction for next year. Before deciding where to go next, it would be a good idea to check where we are now, and how and why we got here.
"We" or "I"?
To keep things clear and simple it might be a better idea to narrow this account down further. I have some serious decisions to make - and writing this blog is part of the decision making process. I'll therefore simply explore where Dadamac is from my own point of view. I won't hide behind the word "we". I'll only write what I can write using the word "I". I'll strip the Dadamac story down to the bits I need to consider in making my decisions for 2013. I welcome comments and feedback. If you send me any, please make it clear if you are writing for my eyes only or to share with others. Use whatever method you usually use to communicate with me - or via the contact form
The start of Dadamac
John Dada (of Fantsuam Foundation) and I had known each other for several years when we coined the name Dadamac, (which we did a couple of years after the first Teachers Talking course).
Since 2001, when I went online, or attended meetings in London, I had been acting on behalf of my friends in Nigeria. Gradually Fantsuam Foundation had become my "second home" in Nigeria, and an umbrella organisation for whatever additional work I might do in Ago-Are. John and I were of one mind in many ways. It made sense to have some shared identity to use when I was in the UK speaking for him as well as for myself - hence the combination of our surnames into DadaMcLean and then the reduction to Dadamac. (Some of the relevant history can be found by reading about Peter Adetunji Oyawale, Oke-Ogun Community Development Network (OCDN), Teachers Talking. and Why Dadamac?)
By the time John and I formed Dadamac, I felt I had done the best I could regarding the continuation of Peter Oyawale's work in Ago-Are. OOCD had set up the Info Centre there and it had been absorbed into a project with IITA (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture). I had originally been attracted to Peter's work because it overlapped my own interests in distance education, and in the way that digital technologies affected the roles of teachers and learners. I had been drawn in much deeper than I intended through the tragic circumstances of his death. Through his project I had developed valued friendships, experiences, knowledge and insights regarding rural Nigeria and inter-related issues of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Education and Development. Dadamac was a natural continuation.
Financial, organisational and motivational issues
By the time John and I formed Dadamac my involvement with rural Nigeria had become a UK-Nigeria ICT, Ed&D (Education and Development) hobby and habit for me. Like most hobby-habits it took up more time and money than I cared to count - but it seemed worth it. It was a central part of my life that I seldom questioned. The anger about Peter's death that had fuelled my original involvement had burnt itself out over the years. I had developed connections with people and places, become fascinated by many intertwined issues and I appreciated the way I was learning new things all the time. Soon after Peter's death I had exchanged a "proper full-time job" for a collection of low responsibility flexible "day jobs" so that I could have more "discretionary time" for continuing his work. It was natural for my holidays to be "working holidays" in rural Nigeria.
I remember being challenged about what I was doing by a friend (a techie who helped me in many ways). His challenge related to what little difference I could make. Like me he had studied with the OU.
Remembering that particular conversation is challenging me regarding motivation. I'll explore the idea further in a separate blog post. I intend to come back here again - but in the spirit of open-ness (and recognising that in fact I may not come back to complete it) I'll publish this half-written blog as it is.
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