[Imc-africa] preliminary thoughts about the imc-africa convergence (2)

[terna gyuse]

yet the imc-convergence was disappointing, frustrating, enraging for me.
i'm writing to signal three things to avoid in future gatherings of this
kind, maybe to provoke some discussion.



1) we need to locate ourselves with the people who indymedia is meant to
serve - people who don't already have privileged access to media and public
discourse

our location in the wealthy SW Nairobi suburb of Karen meant we were
isolated from contact with Nairobi residents. we had adequate space, and
welcoming hosts but we were a long bus ride from the city centre, with yet
further to go to the WSF venue in the NE corner of the city. ironically, our
upscale neighbourhood had no access to broadband internet, though a question
occurs to me suddenly now: why did we never take advantage of ADSL at John
Bwakali's house: John?

(the lack of internet affected me more severely than anyone else, of course,
because it made my plan to cover my FreeSpeech work responsibilities
impossible, but it also contributed to our inability to get media from the
WSF to the outside world and to a general sense of crisis - more below.)



2) we need to think through who invites themselves to gatherings like this
(as well as be a more nimble-minded in overcoming obstacles like visas)

the overall composition of the convergence was unexpected. i imagined - i
think reasonably, given the centrality of the project to build transmitters,
workshop horizontal process and do audio training to help establish radio
stations in Nairobi and Kisumu - that there would be 10 or 12 people from
imc-kenya in Nairobi, as well as a dozen more from Kisumu and Maseno
University. the people from Maseno only arrived on the eve of the WSF
itself; imc-kenya had an on-again, off-again presence of 3 or 4.

after various visa problems stranded Sphinx in the US and 5 more in West
Africa, we ended up with 5 from Mission for Youth Rights in Kampala, 3 more
from southern Africa indymedia collectives. and then 6 from Prometheus; 6
more from North America & Europe. (not counting Sebastien, Ben & Grace, Anna
from Berlin)

ie, for most of the convergence, there were as many of "our white fathers"
(thank you, Farida) as there were Africans.

on the one hand, this was an accident, related to (visas, communications,
money) the ease with which white people move around the world, while black
people encounter (literally) colonial legal obstacles even to move around
their own continent.

on the other hand, there was no reason why there weren't a dozen more people
from around Nairobi at the Karen house - except that our host, imc-kenya, is
more skeletal than we wish to admit. (i also don't understand why imc-kenya
didn't simply write personal letters of invitation to the West Africans,
leaving the WSF secretariat out of it entirely.)

at the same time, the crew from Mission for Youth Rights was - or allowed
themselves to be represented by Bukulu as such - in Nairobi on a
European-funded excursion, to enjoy the benefits (eg demanding half of the
money saved by their taking the bus be given to them personally) and to
collect certificates of having received knowledge of the best kind, from
America.

this is particularly significant given that the convergence began with CT
Butler, a couple of people from Prometheus and the Mission people - and John
from IMC-Kenya: a collection that set a tone that we failed to overcome.

an open invitation is a nice idea, but we should think  in the future about
how to assemble a group that actually shares common purpose.



3) process. was. appalling.
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