Blog

Hi Pam, Sometimes, I have the great urge to push off to the rural heartland of an African country and spend some months understanding people and development. Although India itself offers a great variety of developmental challenges and learnings, I find Africa a more fascinating place to be in for understanding the interplay of development and anthropology in a cultural context different from mine. By going there, I hope to get a closer feel of people belonging to ancient cultures and traditions, and a land rich in pristine biodiversity. I would also like to see whether development is going to...

Hi Vijay I've been been thinking about my ongoing learning journey over the weekend, and wrote about the thinking behind Dadamac Learners Resources - including some for you I've also started to collect up some resources including two articles I saw today which may be of interest to you. I think this one has something of "the feel" of being involved in activities at Fantsuam (but I have only skim read the very beginning). Mechanics vs. motivation: The two faces of social innovation It seems to capture the energy and enthusiasm of doing things - and the desire people have...

A quick update before too much of the week shoots past. I did meet Marcus Simmons at Tuttle on Friday, and later we went to City University to meet Ron Dennis. It was a continuation of the converstation Ron, Femi Longe and I had last week, regarding Nigeria, recyling plastics and other shared interests. Marcus and I also spent a lot of time transferring his photos and videos to my hard drive, finding the most relevant ones to share, making breif notes, and trying not to be drawn into detail until all that was done. We discovered that we both...

So much happening, so little time to write. Streaming Learning and Sharing Last Thursday, November 29th. Franz Nahrada held a skype planning meeting for the January video bridge, Streaming Learning and Sharing workshop http://twurl.nl/hlkeqy . I was there with other participants. it was our first online meeting. Developing Technologies Friday, November 30th - Meeting with Femi Longe (Africa Plus Plus and New Ideas for Africa)and Ron Bridges ( www.developing technologies.org ) at City University. That meeting ties in with our recycling plastic project. Tuttle Friday mornings is Tuttle club - so I called in on my way to the meeting...

Yesterday's weekly UK-Nigeria online meeting was a truly global affair, involving no fewer than three continents and nine people! John Dada was travelling in Asia, Pam and Nikki were in Europe (UK) and, of course, we were joined by our six Fantsuam participants in rural Nigeria, Africa. Despite a minor problem accessing some links, we were able to cover in some depth topics ranging from witchcraft in rural Nigeria to the inclusion in the community of those with disabilities - and the building of links with NITEL to provide local affordable phone and internet connectivity. We also discussed microfinance and...