Yaoundé-based sociologist Baba Wamé gives a stunning overview of how the Web has been appropriated by cameroonian women. More specifically, he shows how email and IM have been turned into on-line dating tools. He then raise raise awareness on the dangers of such practices for the women of his country.

Juliana Rotich, an author, blogger and digital activist with Global Voices Online in Kenya, talks about citizen journalism in African countries. Starting from web examples, she then describes the value of mobile applications in this domain. Her presentation gives a broad overview of the issues at stake in mobile activism/journalism.

Juliana Rotich, an author, blogger and digital activist with Global Voices Online in Kenya, talks about citizen journalism in African countries. Starting from web examples, she then describes the value of mobile applications in this domain. Her presentation gives a broad overview of the issues at stake in mobile activism/journalism.

Juliana Rotich is a blogger (Afromusing, Afrigadget), digital activist, citizen journalist and environment editor of Global Voices Online. With Global Voices, she helps to aggregate, curate and amplify online conversations, with particular focus on technology, the environment, renewable energy, and digital expression in Africa and the developing world.

Juliana is also the Program Director of Ushahidi.com, an innovative non-profit web startup that is creating a tool for mapping crises by gathering reports via mobile, e-mail and web. She is focused on using new media tools to create a network of environmental bloggers from around the world, elevating and encouraging more conversations and engagement on environmental matters.

Holding a BSc Degree in IT from the University of Missouri Kansas City she also has several years of experience in database administration, application development and project management. We are very much looking forward to hearing her speak on the solidarity theme on February 26th which she will bring alive together with Ramesh Srinivasan. Learn more about Juliana on her LIFT page.

For years, in the "North-West" (that is industrialized countries - usually understood as North vs. South and West vs. East), we've been babbling about the "digital gap" that is supposedly the new line of division, usually understood as running along that of economical and political development. We often have quite a simplistic idea of the situation, imagining countries that are like technological deserts, on top of being devoid of everything essentials for a normal life (that is one car per family, two TV-sets per household, all with at least 40 channels, and 4-weeks vacations in the Bahamas or in the Swiss Alps per years). We tend to forget the forest of satellite dishes that are ornementing most cities and even village buildings in what we used (politcally) incorrectly call "third world" countries. And a recent article from the Mail & Guardian, translated in French in the Courrier International, just reminds us how wrong we often are about the appropriation of "our" modern technologies by people in these countries.

Nathan Eagle is Research Scientist at MIT. He presents about "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control" at the LIFT07 conference on Thursday, February 8, 2007.