Re: [A12n-forum] Afárá, ALTI, and OOCD 2000+

["Don Osborn" <dzo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks, Pam.  This is interesting and I'm glad that the OOCD 2000+ project is able to network with other efforts in the country.  All too often in development, local efforts rely heavily on external ties (which can help with resources and/or knowhow) to the relative neglect of building domestic networks (which are essential in the long term).  A balance is needed and you all seem to be achieving that.

 

One of the hopes for this list is the exchange of information on projects, just as you have done, and also questions and plans from projects in the conception stage concerning multilingual ICT.  We look forward to hearing more about your efforts here. I hope it's okay that I mention that anyone who wants to keep up with the details of the OOCD project can also subscribe to your mailing list at http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/oocd2000plus .

 

You mention Fantsuam.  It was indeed a question from one of its representatives concerning Hausa a couple of years ago that was the impetus for the formation of the oldest of the fora under the umbrella of Bisharat: the "Hausa charsets & keyboards" board.  Ultimately I think that it and the other boards for Yoruba, Igbo and Ghanaian languages* will be merged into this "A12n-forum" but for the moment at least it seems useful for some that these separate spaces be maintained.

 

Thanks again and all the best!

 

Don Osborn

Bisharat.net

 

* all the 4 boards are accessible via http://www.quicktopic.com/share?s=QSpo 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: pam.mclean

To: A12n-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 8:03 PM

Subject: Re: [A12n-forum] Afárá, ALTI, and OOCD 2000+

Hi Don

 

Titi and I are already 'virtual colleagues'. She has helped me out in various ways, over the last few months since we first 'met, and I hoped to thank her face to face during my August trip to Nigeria. She and 'Gbenga Sesan and another member of their group were on the list of people I was hoping to see 'for real'.  David (OOCD project manager) and I hoped for some serious planning meetings with PIN. Predictably nothing worked out according to Plan A (Nigerian trips usually work around Plan M or so) - so although many good things happened in August, unfortunately Titi and I did not get to meet. 

 

However David. Chief Adejumo (OOCD Chairman) and I did meet Gbenga in Abuja, at the West Africa Internet Forum of ACT 2003. Gbenga was giving a presentation about Open Source, and we were there with John Dada and Comfort Kazanka of Fantsuam to provide information on rural realities. Our Fantsuam friends are of course part of your Hausa group.

 

The plan is for OOCD and PIN to do some work together, but it's not my place to share details at this stage - other than the fact that we are looking at English and Yoruba. Enough to say that in typical OOCD fashion things will be bottom up, so David and Gbenga were planning community involvement before technical details. They were talking about involving the young people of Ago-Are, but some of them go away to college and only come back in the holidays. As it was too late to arrange anything for the Summer holidays, and the next will be dominated by Christmas, it could be well into 2004 before they can arrange the meetings they want and before there is anything to report. On the other hand, perhaps OOCD and PIN will start some work together beforehand, so there will be something for the young people to focus on and respond to, and something to tell you about.

 

Ref the Yoruba keyboard and my Nigerian trip. I downloaded the necessary software onto my laptop before I left (this included my 30 days free trial) but we had such problems with the electricity supply and other pressures that I never even got a chance to look at it with anyone - and now its time has elapsed, and I am back home.

 

However, on the plus side, I am recognising an increasing number of people with a strong Yoruba interest who are actively connected with OOCD in some way, so although I have had little to report, things are gently moving below the surface.

 

Pam

 

      

----- Original Message -----

From: Don Osborn

To: A12n-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2003 7:05 PM

Subject: [A12n-forum] Afárá, ALTI, and OOCD 2000+

Titi, Does your Afárá project have any link with Francis Egbokhare and the African Languages Technology Initiative (ALTI) described in the iConnect Africa interview (the one recently posted)? 

 

Another organization working on ICT in southwest Nigeria is OOCD 2000+.  They are actually in a rural area, but a very interesting effort that includes a Yoruba language aspect.  Pam McLean who works with them is on this list.

 

Thanks and all the best!

 

Don Osborn         dzo@xxxxxxxxxxxx
*Bisharat! A language, technology & development initiative
*Bisharat! Initiative langues - technologie - développement
http://www.bisharat.net

 

 

 

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