Black Looks points to details from Becky Faith of Pambazuka News on the recent Africa Source II conference, an attempt to expand the discussion of open source software and the open source concept in Africa. (We noted the conference earlier this month.) Highlights include discussions of the Creative Commons License as a benefit for Africa, localization of software for community empowerment, and the needs of disabled computer users in Africa. Of particular note was the emphasis on getting women involved in open source development:
Women from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and Egypt got together to discuss how they might advocate for open source amongst women. Mentoring for school-age girls to get them to consider information technology as a career was seen as a top priority. The openness of the FOSS community was seen as a great opportunity for learning and participation by women.
Faith points to the Africa Linux Chix website and mailing lists, which appear to be well-worth checking out.