Discussion about development in East Africa has revolved for a long time around international aid and other support from external institutions. A new narrative has been emerging in the region in more recent years that it is a lot more exciting. It is a story of self-reliance, resilience and a passion for growth facilitated largely by new industry and technology.
In order to investigate these issues in greater depth and to showcase the talent and initiative of East African communities, along with a small and dedicated team I have launched teknolojia.social, a multimedia journalism project investigating the social impact of technology in East Africa. Through our research and reporting we seek to show how technology is impacting wider society and what development outcomes are resulting from ongoing investment.
Our project project involves six distinct stages:
1. Research
The research phase of this project has already been completed. In this phase we identified key stakeholders, reviewed research, other projects and found areas that can be expanded upon.
2. Partnerships
We have completed the partnership building stage. We have built strong connections with global and East-Africa-based media outlets, tech companies, entrepreneurs, community groups, non-profits, governments and social impact investors to ensure that the project is successful.
3. Fieldwork
We will be based in Dar es Salaam conducting extensive interviews and research in 2017. Our team includes a multimedia journalist, a qualitative researcher, a filmographer, and a photographer. As this is a multimedia project we hope to fully capture the experience across digital mediums.
4. Data analysis
Following fieldwork, we will analyse our multimedia projects to understand key underlying themes and find the best way to present these stories.
5. Presentation
We will use innovative methods to present our findings such as: an interactive data visualisation platform, films, photography exhibitions and publishing articles with major media outlets both in East Africa and internationally.
6. Next phase
On completion of our fieldwork in Tanzania, we hope to indentify another East African city to utilise as the second research site.
If you would like to find out more please get in touch by visiting http://teknolojia.social