14. Image Source:
The African Digital Frontier: http://afrographique.tumblr.com/post/4132175055/an-
infographic-breakdown-of-the-african
African Top 10 Websites: http://afrographique.tumblr.com/post/4132342039/infographic-
charting-the-positions-and
Liberia Election Monitoring: http://liberia2011.ushahidi.com/
H.E. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: http://www.celebritysector.com/celebrity/images/stories/Sirleaf(
1).jpg
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala TED Talks: http://www.ted.com/speakers/ngozi_okonjo_iweala.html
Women in Parliament Infographic: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-
Issues/2010/1113/Global-leadership-In-Rwanda-women-run-
the-show
Technology Helps Women in Rwanda Video Clip: http://www.microfinancefocus.com/technology-helps-women-
rwanda
Villages in Action Website Screenshot: http://villagesinaction.com/
Villages in Action Background: http://villagesinaction.com/about-via/
Villages in Action Photo of GirlUpVIA12: TMSRuge Photography |
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=212752148814856&
set=a.211676988922372.49235.208925362530868&type=3&t
heater
TweetReach Girlup-Villages in Action 2012 Report: http://tweetreach.com/
Follow me on @LizNgonzi
Notes de l'éditeur
Which words come to mind when you view these images of the “African woman”
According to these images results, apparently the “African woman politician” is a man, American,
In the presentation I will show you how the African lioness is able to tell her story and affect the stories of others through the leveraging of technology.Find ways to expand the role of women within Cornell’s decision-making groupsThrough the Office of the Councils, advise the president on issues important to Cornell womenHelp attract outstanding women students, faculty, and staff to Cornell, and enhance their leadership opportunitiesEngage leading alumnae by strengthening their ties to each other and to CornellOffer guidance and role models for Cornell womenProvide financial support for PCCW and other initiatives that help Cornell women”
In order to understand how the story is being shared, it’s important to grasp the impact of social media and mobile devices on the African storyteller.
Facebook, Twitter and blog sites are important to the key markets in Africa. They also provide outlets for those on the continent to share their ideas in their own voices. The channels also provide them with access to information from other parts of the world that help to generate new ideas, foster understanding and break down barriers.
Crowd-sourced election monitoring (viaUshahidi) during the 2011 Presidential election in Liberia which resulted in Harvard-trained Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s re-election. She derives a lot of support from market women, who are the back-bone of her country’s economy.
Nigeria’s first woman finance minister (currently a managing director with The World Bank) who introduced a tremendous amount of transparency into the system, to make the country more desirable for foreign investment and job creation. Through her TEDtalks, she helped to dispel myths about Africa and her country, Nigeria, as places only plagued by poverty, corruption and despair, by highlighting progress and prosperity in both. She also speaks about the importance of increasing use of trade as a source of development for Africa, versus aid, which has failed the continent in many respects and keeps it in a cycle of poverty.
Three of the top ten countries with the highest women parliamentarians are in Africa, with Rwanda leading at 56% of seats. Rwanda following the genocide was left with a population of 70% women, subsequently necessitating the revision of laws preventing women from inheriting land and the government’s overall focus on educating and empowering women throughout Rwandan society. Dr. Mujawamariya, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family Promotion speaking about the introduction of eRwanda, a project that expanded Rwanda’s telecommunications infrastructure throughout the country to improve service delivery. One result is the access market demand information as a way to help women farmers to make more informed decisions about pricing and supply movement.
In January 2012, Villages in Action partnered with GirlUp in a tweetchat that enabled these eight rural Ugandan girls to share their questions with the world spurring a conversation that reached over 1.5 million people (including Ivanka Trump) and generated over 4 million impressions on Twitter. This truly demonstrates the power of social media to amplify a message, empower girls and hopefully open up their world such that they aspire to leadership positions.