The scrap book

These photos record the progress of the CIDC2006 conference. Click on the thumbnail (small) picture to see a larger one. Use your browser "back" arrow to return to this page. 

The admin crew
Angelique (left) and Jean (centre) worked tirelessly under Elizabeth's direction (right - why is she looking so relaxed?) to make sure that everything was going smoothly.

The opening
Dr Harlold Wesso (South African Department of Communications), Professor Anthony Staak (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) and Dr Michael Gurstein (Founding Chair of the Community Informatics Research Network) all addressed the opening session of the conference.
Professor Geoff Erwin is Director of the e-Innovation Academy at CPUT, and a director of the Information Society Institute.
Dr Harold Wesso spoke about the importance of Community Informatics in the national context.
Dr Michael Gurstein talked about the work of the Community Informatics Research Network - some 400 researchers and practitioners from more than 40 countries.

Introductions
Delegates to the conference introduced themselves - just a few were caught on camera, and are presented here.

The first working session
Professor Wallace Taylor (right) chaired the opening plenary session, wherein Michael Thatcher of Microsoft (left, and below) spoke about ideas for effective e-Government through IT Governance, Architecture and Procurement ("GAP").  

The debate begins
Heloise Emdon (of the IDRC) and Dr Gary Wills (of Southampton University in the UK) make their points energetically.

Breakout ...
The heart of any conference is the presentation of papers.  At CIDC2006 there were six tracks that examined e-Government, the Knowledge Society, Technology, the application of Community Informatics, Telecentres, and methods for Community Informatics research and operation. 

Here are some of the moments of discussion that eventuated during these panel sessions.

Interlude:  The Webstar competition
Baratang Miya is director of an organisation called "Girlhype" that works for young people, especially for girls (see a TISI news item about Baratang here).  Here she talks about the "Webstar" competition organised in conjunction with the Cape Chamber of Commerce.  Students have been invited to develop web sites for small businesses in the Cape Town area, and some of the sites were on display ...
 ... and here are some of the competing students, ...
 ... in conversation with Nhlanhla Mlitwa, a doctoral candidate at the University of Cape Town. 

The panel discussions
Panel discussions addressed the role of Universities in furthering community informatics, at all levels, and the gritty questions of financing community informatics interventions.
Darlington Onojaefe organised the final plenary panel session.  Corporate Social Responsibility is probably the most obvious corporate veiwpoint from which community informatics might be seen.  We were fortunate to have senior representatives from Microsoft, Shell, Engen and Nedbank to present their ideas and answer questions from the floor.

Relaxing at the Two Oceans Aquarium
x "Meet the fishes" - the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Cape Town Waterfront is a favourite tourist attraction, and was opened especially for the conference delegates.  Delicious food, interesting conversation, and (in the absence of either) an opportunity to sit and gaze at the fish.  Inevitably, it was necessary to photograph some of the delegates with the fishes ... spot the differences?

Off to the Ikamva Youth project in Khayelitsha
Khayelitsha is one of the areas designated for the displaced persons out of the 1960's clearances, in particular of "District Six" where the Cape Peninsula University of Technology is located. 
The project is located in the Nazeema Isaacs Library, at the junction of Lansdowne and Cekece Roads. 
Joy Olivier introduces the project and explains how it works, with volunteer effort and commitment on the part of the community.  this is an example of a successful community development project. 
Two of the project members explain what the project means to them, and what they have been able to achieve.
The visitors are drawn headlong into the Saturday morning group work, to converse and to see the merits of the project for themselves.

The last lunch - back at TISI to wrap up and reflect upon the visit to the Ikamva Youth project
There was a lot to think about.  Generally, we all agreed that without contact with those people that we strive to assist, it all means very little.  To see a youth project at work - motivated, successful and as we met them taking over their own destiny - was not just encouraging, it cemented many of the thoughts and arguments of the conference in a real context.