Changing the Way we See ICTs

From the 18^th- 20^th July 2011, the first Southern African Regional Feminist Tech Exchange (FTX) was hosted by Women’s Net and JASS (Just Associates) Southern Africa in Johannesburg South Africa.

 The Feminist Tech Exchange brought together nine women’s rights activists from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe to share and build knowledge and skills on communication and ICTs from a feminist perspective.

The exchange was developed in response to calls from members of the feminist and women’s rights movement for greater understanding of emerging technologies, their potential and impact on the rights and lives of women. 

At the FTX participants assessed and evaluated their organizations’ communication strategies and engaged in hands on experimentation with a range of different tools including the sharing of knowledge and skills on internet usage, blogging, mobile technology, Google maps, twitter and face book. Being cognizant of issues of access within the region, face to face communication, hard copy publications and radio were also identified as still being important tools of communication. 

Participants at the FTX learnt from each other and shared experiences across the region and explored how different elements of technology can support, strengthen or disrupt power. The exchange also created a platform for building partnerships and solidarity among women activists from the different countries present.

Interspersed with singing and dancing the FTX reinforced the potential of ICTs to enable women to make media represent their realities. It was observed that women can make use ICT tools that are low-cost and mobile as feminists in ways that are inclusive, diverse, creative and transforming.

The Co-Director of Women’s Net Lerato Legoabe, said she felt honored to be part of a process that is defining new ways of organizing as women’s rights activists.

“Women’s Net is excited to be part of a space breeding a new layer of ICT advocates in Southern Africa. Through this experience I was able to see in real terms why it is important for women to drive the information age and have their voices heard,” said Legoabe.

A participant from Malawi, Miriam Munthali Msewa said the FTX has empowered her with skills that she didn’t have which will help her in her daily life.

Women’s Net is a feminist organization that works to advance gender equality and justice in South Africa, through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) while JASS is an international feminist organization dedicated to strengthening and mobilizing women’s voice, visibility and collective organizing power of women.