Rising Voices » Ségou Villages Connection

Ségou Villages: Boukary Konaté Is A Finalist At BOBs

Thalia Rahme — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:23:09 +0000

Boukary Konaté is a translator for Global Voices in French and also a Rising Voices grantee representing the Ségou Villages Connection.

This year he has another feather on the cap. Boukary has been listed among the finalists in the Best of Blogs the BOBs, an annual event held by the Deutsche Welle Media Group to award blog and bloggers who have in a way or another marked their societies, communities and contributed to promoting freedom of expression.

Boukary is competing under the category “Education and Culture” for his own blog Fasokan in both French and Bambara languages.

Fasokan in Mali promotes local languages and cultures on his bilingual, personal blog. He introduced village people to the Internet and basic search on the Web during an educational cruise on river Niger in Mali.

Boukary Konaté with Global Voices business card. Image by workshop.segou

On the Intro of his blog, Boukary writes:

La langue ne se développe pas elle-même, ce sont ses locuteurs qui la travaille. Le peu que je peux faire pour le développement et la promotion des langues africaines, je le fais pour que nos langues traversent les rivières et les fleuves et prennent place parmi les autres langues dans le vestibule de partage d’information et de savoir, qui est Internet. Fasokan, Site en langues nationale Bambara, Mali

A Language don't develop from themselves, its speakers that work on it. The little I can do for the development and the promotion of African languages, I do it, so that our languages cross rivers and take a place among other languages in the hallway of knowledge and information exchange and sharing which is the Internet. Fasokan, a website in national language, Bambara, Mali

You can encourage Boukary by voting for his blog. The voting has started and continues till May 1st.

All you have to do is go the BoB's website, choose the “Education and Culture” category, select Fasokan as a site and then vote.

All the winners will be announced on the BOBs’ website on May 2.

Print Screen from the BoB's website

Boukary, who also tweets under the same name of Fasokan, writes:

@Fasokan (Boukary Konate): The vote continues, vote here for Fasokan.

Ségou Villages: Finding a Way to Connect in Rural Mali

Eddie Avila — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:41:33 +0000

The Ségou villages are scattered across a flat and arid landscape with withering baobab trees lining the distance. This Malian region is known for its rural populations that make a living through a variety of agricultural activities, as well as cattle raising and other small-scale commerce. The Ségou region is about a four-hour drive from the capital city of Bamako, and in any one of the approximately two hundred rural villages, electricity and potable water are scarce. Many residents eventually choose to migrate to the larger cities in search for better educational and employment opportunities.

The village of Bamoussobougo

It was in one of these rural villages called Bamoussobougo where Rising Voices grantee project coordinator Boukary Konaté grew up. He had been tending to his family's livestock when a random encounter with a police sergeant, who took an active interest in him encouraging him to pursue his education. He describes this meeting and its result in a 2009 interview on Global Voices.

One evening, I was shepherding cows with other kids when we met a man on the road, a sergeant. His Suzuki motorcycle was broken. His name was Lassinè Traoré.

While we helped him, he asked if I went to school. I said “No”. He went to see my father and advised him to send me to school. For weeks, he came back, until my father gave his consent. Sergeant Traoré told me, “There I leave you. You now have the duty to do well at school to honor me, and later to take care of yourself and your parents.”

I walked six kilometers to the nearest school for years until I moved to Bamako to attend high school. I did bricklayer work and odd jobs on week-ends to make ends meet with my state grant. My mother wanted me to succeed in school, she did everything in her power.

Boukary soon became a very prolific blogger and one of the leading advocates for using his native language of Bambara on the internet. Even though he had more regular access to the internet in Bamako, he never once forgot where he came from and the stark contrast in terms of internet access in these villages. When developing the idea for the RV project Ségou Villages Connection, Boukary wanted to be a mentor to young people who are in a similar position in which he was in years ago. Perhaps one of these young people can become the next Boukary, as a tireless advocate for digital information and communication across Mali.

Will one of these children be the next Malian blogger? Photo of Boukary with many of his nieces and nephews in his hometown.

Helping people to get online where they can tell their stories and show a different side of the Ségou villages is not particularly easy. The lack of electricity, the lack of internet cafes outside of the administrative capital of Ségou, and economic limitations are just some of these challenges facing the project. However, the availability of mobile coverage even in these rural villages has proven to be an exciting opportunity for an alternative way to access these digital conversations.

Instead of waiting for internet connections to arrive and electricity coverage to improve, the grantee project seeks to use existing technology and the residents’ habits of using mobile phones. Focusing on the mobile phone, the option to tweet using SMS has always been a major feature in Twitter. Unfortunately, none of the national Malian carriers offer a short code, which would have allowed users to send tweets for the price of a local SMS. Some companies that offer short codes also provide the option to receive tweets from select users, replies, and direct messages without cost.

In those countries where short codes are not offered, there still is the option to send tweets using an international “long” code. For the price of an international SMS, users can tweet by sending a SMS thousands of kilometers away to Finland, Germany or the UK where the update can automatically publish to their Twitter account. A major drawback to this method is that the communication is one-way, as the user cannot receive any replies or direct messages. Despite this, it is still a step in the right direction.

Workshop teaching how to tweet using an international long code.

It was this method that was taught to two of the project participants Oumar Dembélé and Yaya Coulibaly at a recent workshop held in the town of Ciznana. Previously, the two had been sending regular SMS to Boukary so that he could transcribe and republish on the project blog. Naturally this method was not very efficient and depended on a intermediary to publish for the two participants. This way, they can publish directly to their Twitter account whenever they feel they have something to share with their followers. The project is also exploring alternatives to help facilitate two-way communication so that the two rural Twitter users can receive feedback on their phones. A small portion of the project funds is used to purchase airtime so that the cost of sending SMS do not come out of their own pocket.

Now that a new system was established, there is an ongoing challenge to motivate and encourage the participants to continue to tweet describing what is happening around them. In future posts, we'll re-introduce you to Oumar and Yaya and share some of their recent tweets.

Ségou Connection: Introducing The Internet To 800 Villagers

Claire Ulrich — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:44:23 +0000

The Ségou Village Connection “cruise for Internet literacy” on the river Niger, in Mali, in partnership with the Loire-Niger UNESCO heritage project [fr], has now completed a two-week training tour of schools on the banks of the river, with very positive results. Boukary shares highlights of his groundbreaking cruise.

Uploading pictures online on the UNESCO barge on the river Niger, Mali

Rising Voices: How many villages and schools did you visit and train during this educational cruise?

The traveling UNESCO heritage photo exhibit – Photo Boukary Konaté (CC By)

Boukary Konaté: The UNESCO barge stopped in Sékoro, Ségou, Markala, Mopti, Kokribozo, Macina, Diafarabé, Ouro-Modi and Mopti to present their photo exhibition on the Niger cultural heritage. I gave introduction workshops to the Internet in as many school along the way. In Mali, 40 to 60 pupils per class is average. On occasions, the whole school attended. We estimate the number of persons who have been introduced to the internet and basic search on the Web at around 800, from primary school kids to adult students.

RV: What did you teach them?

BK: Most villages along the Niger live from fishing or grow rice paddies, there is no road, no electricity or TV, they are isolated but even the poorest shepherd has a mobile phone now. A lot of people had heard about the Internet, but did not know what it was. I am a teacher by profession, I emphasized that is was a learning tool. We did searches on Google on whatever they wished, and every time, they found the answers to their questions. I also introduced them to Skype, information websites such as Maliweb, Yahoo News, Global Voices, the Ministry of education website, Twitter and Facebook.

Students and a teacher at a vocational school for farming and cattle raising in Macina – Photo by Boukary Konaté on Flickr (CC-by)

RV: Tell us about a training session that struck you.

In Macina, I lectured in a vocational school for farmers and cattle raisers (IFP). They searched Google on volcanoes, on the chemistry of soil, water, but what struck the students most was to discover that their village was on the Internet! And not only that: that there was another Macina, in Serbia! There was quite a debate with their teacher on books versus the Internet, but school books are rare, and we agreed that the Internet could become one day the school library.

The Fulana chiefdom at Diafarabé has welcomed the Internet in their village. Photo by Boukary Konaté, under a Creative Commons license

RV: how did the local authorities react?

BK: Very well. There is often at first a prejudice, that “internet is for the rich”. In Fulana villages, I was told that “Once a man has enough to eat and drink, he needs to have information and share information, to know people and to be known”. The villages would like to have a permanent access to the Web.

RV: what have your learnt yourself from this tour?
BK: Being a Bambara, I have discovered ethnic groups and languages I knew nothing about, the Fulani and Bozo. I have discovered my country! I was struck by how welcoming the Fulani are, by the beauty of their villages and architecture, up North. I am now comfortable sailing on water, something I was afraid of. And I will always cherish the beauty of sunsets and dawns on the river Niger.

RV: How do you see the future of the Ségou Village Connection project?

Life line to the Web: a portable solar cell – Picture by Boukary Konaté, under a CC license

BK: We hope that UNESCO will organize another tour, that the Ministry of Education in Mali will take notice and mainstream such initiatives. All you need is second hand laptops, a solar cell, a transformer, and minutes of mobile phone credit to access Internet via mobile network, which is reliable in Mali even in remote places. The other solution is to crowdsource good will, not as a beggar, but as a person convinced that what he/she is trying to do is important.

You can also visit Boukary Konaté's photo gallery documenting the “Internet cruise” on the river Niger.

Ségou Villages: Cruising the River Niger for Internet Literacy

Claire Ulrich — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:12:27 +0000

The Ségou Villages Connection project in Mali is taking an interesting turn, in partnership with a UNESCO heritage preservation program [fr]. Boukary Konaté, a 2011 Rising Voices grantee, is currently cruising up the Niger river aboard a traditional Malian barge, docking every day in a new village to train school children and villagers to use the Internet.

The UNESCO Loire-Niger programme barge

The Loire-Niger Rivers programme [fr] supported by UNESCO-France and the Pays de Loire Regional Council, documents and preserves the Niger river cultural heritage, involving local fishermen and villagers. A 2-week tour of the villages, aboard a traditional Malian barge has been organised to show a traveling photo exhibition. The Ségou Villages Connection was invited to join the team to expand this outreach initiative by training school children to the Internet along the way. Boukary Konaté is currently aboard the ship cruising upstream and is posting photos and dispatches about this experience.

In Sekoro, a fishermen village, capital of the former Bamana kingdom, no one had ever heard of the Internet or seen a computer. Besides, there is no electricity. Boukary Konaté taught the children how to search the Web on his solar-energy powered laptop and smartphone. “They were baffled by the fact that you can access knowledge without traveling: it travels to your place, via the Internet” he says. One little girl (pictured below) did not hesitate for a second when asked what she wanted information about: “C.A.N.” (The Africa soccer cup 2012).

A primary school girl hits the enter key for the first time, in Sekoro, Mali

Further up the Niger, in the regional capital Segou, Boukary Konaté gave a presentation on the knowledge and collaboration opportunities given by the Internet in the Bandjougou Bouaré high school, in front of more than a hundred students. Students were then asked to search Google themselves, on a personal topic of interest. Here are a few queries, saved by Boukary: “How to find the square root of prime numbers”, 'The life and deeds of Keita, king of the Mandingo empire“, “Books written by Malian writer Issa Baba Traoré“; “Biography of Shaka Zulu, bravest warrior of South Africa.” “(Pop star) Rihanna“. And one of the teachers searched for TV series “Prison Break“.

Boukary coaching high school students in Ségou to search the Web

Drawing from past training sessions in the Ségou district organised by Ségou Villages Connection, Boukary travels equipped with a mobile internet USB drive to access the Web, and a portable solar-cell to charge his laptop and smartphone. He finds this a lightweight and quite satisfactory solution to connect in remote places, and even blogs on the river Niger! You can follow Boukary Konaté's daily updates and pictures on Facebook.

Blogging on the deck of the boat, on the Niger River

All pictures by Boukary Konaté and team, hosted on Briconcella's account, reproduced with permission under a Creative Commons License.

Rising Voices Year in Review 2011

Eddie Avila — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:06:58 +0000

The year started out with news from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region about citizen uprisings that would alter the course of history throughout this part of the world. The turn of events in Egypt, in particular, hit close to home with Rising Voices because of our close connection to our three grantee projects in Cairo and in Upper Egypt. Obviously some of the projects were placed on hold during this uncertain time, but many of the project leaders and participants took to citizen media as a way to express their thoughts and feelings about the revolution. In addition, the day before the infamous internet shut-down by the government, we also heard from one of the project leaders via Skype, who spoke about her participation in the citizen action.

Podcast with Nesma by risingvoices

Digital Natives with a Cause?

In early February, Rising Voices partnered with HIVOS and the Centre for Internet and Society to organize the Latin America and the Caribbean regional workshop of the Digital Natives with a Cause? project. The workshop held on February 8-10, 2011 in Santiago, Chile invited 23 young people actively using technology in their daily lives for social action and creative expression to share their experiences with others from their region.

Digital AlterNatives book

Fifteen countries from the region were represented at the workshop, which was the third in a series of regional events that took also place in Tapei and Johannesburg in 2010. The information compiled from all three of the workshops helped form the basis of the final book project “Digital AlterNatives” that was released in September 2011. This book features essays from the workshop participants, facilitators, and others who are working in this space. You can download the entire book here.

Welcoming Newest Grantees

Our first global-wide open call for microgrant proposals in nearly two years yielded an unprecedented level of interest. Rising Voices received more than 750 applications from more than 90 countries from individuals and organizations interested in implementing a citizen media outreach project in their local community. Reading through every proposal each filled with creative ideas, the selection committee recognized the ongoing need in these communities and it was a difficult, yet thorough process to select five projects.

In early March, we announced the five selected projects:

Youth leaders and children in the neighborhood of Enterramento in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

We plan to launch the open call for the next round of microgrant proposals in early 2012.

Blogging Positively

Interest in the Blogging Positively working group continued in 2011 with members of the Global Voices Lingua community that helped with the translation of the e-guide into Swahili and Russian. In addition, several blog posts highlighting the use of citizen media in discussing HIV/AIDS, as well as interviews with bloggers were featured on Rising Voices in 2011. We closed out the year with the commemoration of World AIDS Day in December 1 by promoting the use of the hashtag #BlogPos (blogging positively).

Partnerships

Over the course of 2011, Rising Voices has been reaching out to organizations and individuals that share our mission, and often times these connections result in concrete collaborations to help spread the reach of citizen media in underrepresented communities. One of these partnerships took place in April 2011 with the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. As part of their Human Rights Defenders Initiative, Rising Voices was invited to organize a panel of individuals that have been using citizen media to advance the cause of women's rights around the world. We invited Fatma Emam from the RV grantee project Exploring Taboos and Jasmeen Patheja, founder of the Blank Noise project in India to take part in the event. The attendees of the conference “Religion, Belief, and Women's Rights” came primarily from Sub-Saharan Africa, the MENA region, and Southeast Asia, and were able to hear firsthand experiences and learn how they might be able to use citizen media to further their human rights work. Following the panel, there was a hands-on session to ask specific questions about using citizen media.

Fatma Emam from the project Exploring Taboos project with Former President Jimmy Carter

Underrepresented Languages

Based on some of our experiences in Bolivia of using citizen digital media to promote the use of underrepresented languages on the web, we knew that this type of activity was much more widespread. Over the past year, we've featured a wide range of initiatives using blogs, podcasts, video blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to encourage current speakers, as well as the next generation of speakers to create their own content and connect with others from these language communities. We've featured projects in languages such as Warlpiri, Cherokee, Welsh, Quechua, Chakma, and Nishnaabe.

To bring some of these practitioners together and learn from their experiences, Rising Voices teamed up with the Indigenous Tweets project and New Tactics in Human Rights to organize a week-long online dialogue where participants could share their stories about their work, present some of the challenges they have faced, and help provide some tips for others wishing to embark in the field of language revitalization and citizen media. The entire dialogue is documented on the New Tactics website, and there are plans to collect the information and create an e-guide with the ideas, tips, and suggestions.

Conferences

Invitations to RV grantee projects are frequent occurrences at global conferences, and these events are great opportunities to share their experiences with implementing a citizen media outreach project. For example, project coordinator Jamila Venturini and participants Dener Guedes Mendonça and Soraia Rodrigues de Amorim from the Friends of Januária were invited to present at the annual Cultura Digital Forum held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From the same project, project coordinator Amanda Rossi attended the Mozilla Festival held in London. A representative from each of the three Rising Voices projects in Egypt was invited to attend the third Arab Bloggers Meeting held in Tunisia.

Getting Connected in Bolivia

To close out the year, Rising Voices organized the first gathering of its kind in Bolivia with the support of HIVOS and IBIS. The idea of the three-day event called “Conectándonos” (Getting Connected) was to bring together emerging bloggers and creators of citizen media from underrepresented communities and those working closely with these groups, as a way to begin to build a national network of technical assistance and support. Some of these communities targeted were indigenous groups, those from rural communities, the LGBT community in Bolivia, Afro-Bolivians, and women from lower socio-economic sectors of society. Through hands-on workshops, presentations, and group activities where participants came up with a citizen media outreach project for their local community, the 35 participants from across the country met in Cochabamba, Bolivia to take part in the event. Five experienced Bolivian bloggers also took part as workshop facilitators acting as supportive mentors for the participants, and communication continues to carry on through a Facebook group.

Conectándonos poster

There was also an event open to the general public that stressed the need for a more representative Bolivian digital space with greater participation from all of these communities. Presentations and panel discussions introduced the attendees to some of these initiatives that are attempting to bridge the digital divide in citizen digital media. The three-day workshop and public event was held at the mARTadero project, a cultural arts space located in South Cochabamba. Recaps of the three days can be found on Rising Voices, and there are plans to replicate the event in Ecuador in mid-2012.

Thank you

We would like to thank the entire Rising Voices community, including our grantees that work especially hard to bring the benefits from citizen media to their local communities. We would also like to thank our volunteer authors that have taken the time to share with our readers interesting happenings from the world of citizen media. Finally, this work would not be possible without the interest expressed by our readers, Twitter followers, Facebook fans, and those who support our mission of working towards a global online space much more representative with greater participation by all.

Ségou Villages: The Wisdom of Bambara Proverbs

Thalia Rahme — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:59:47 +0000

There is much wisdom in traditional Bambara proverbs, something that the blogger Oumar Dembélé from the Rising Voices grantee project Ségou Villages Connection shares on the Ségou Infos Blog [fr]:

Si le veau ne reconnait pas le lion comme animal féroce, la vache le sait bien.

If the calf does not recognize the lion as a ferocious animal, the cow knows very well.

The above mentioned proverb that refers to the wisdom of the more experienced animal can be found originally in the Bambara language, which is also a national language of Mali. Bambara is also the most widely understood language in the country, considered as lingua franca. Written Bambara was introduced during the French occupation and literacy is still very limited. The language is heavily influenced by French, and even the slightest knowledge of French will make it easier to remember words. If you don't remember a word you can try to use the French word.

Proverbs help to understand a culture or civilization, and there are some well-known Bambara proverbs available online.

ji ma masa dɔn

Literally: Water doesn't recognize a king – Meaning: The current can take down anyone who doesn't know how to swim, irrespective of his social status.

tulon-ka-yɛlɛ bɛ dugu diya

Meaning: Laughter makes life more pleasant in the village.

N’i ye diɲɛ yaala, n’i ma fɛn sɔrɔ, i na fɛn caman dɔn.

Meaning: If you travel the world, even if you gain nothing, you will still learn many things.

To read other proverbs on Twitter, click here and here. The blog Maneno Matamu also takes a look at the same proverb across different African languages, including Bambara, which:

has a proverb which matches the French saying word for word, at least according to the online dictionnary bambara.org :

Dɔɔnin-dɔɔnin, kɔnɔnin bɛ a ɲaa da
Literally : « Little by little, the bird builds its nest »

While Bambara's presence online is still modest, there is some use of it on social media platforms. For example, Boukary Konaté, who is also the coordinator of the Ségou Villages Connection project, writes his personal blog in both French and his native language. He also tweets in Bambara, as we can see in these exchanges with Phil Paoletta (@philinthe_).

For those wishing to know more about Bambara or to learn a few words or phrases, Wikitravel offers a phrasebook and Wikibooks [fr] offers a phrase book and beginner lessons [fr]. There is also an online Bambara-French-English dictionary available.

Ségou Villages: Hacking Together Rural Internet Access

Claire Ulrich — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:26:35 +0000

One of the main goals of the Segou Village Connection project, a Rising Voices grantee in rural Mali, is to train youth and villagers to join a team of local correspondents and send updates on local life and news via SMS or a second-hand laptop, to feed the project blog [fr].

How do you connect to the web in rural villages when there is often no cybercafe, no electricity, or computer? Segou Village Connection has opted for a grassroots solution. Thanks to the Rising Voices grant, a few pieces of equipments were bought by project leader Boukary Konaté and a mobile Internet unit set up. In this interview, he describes how he has been working towards the goal of amplifying voices from the rural villages despite these infrastructure challenges.

Solar energy is key: trainees of the Segou Village Connection discover the brand new solar panel

Rising Voices: Hello Boukary, what do you need to be connected to the Web in rural Mali?

Boukary Konaté: Our mobile internet unit is composed of a second-hand laptop and a smartphone, a solar panel to power them with electricity, a battery to store electrical power, and a converter to have the correct voltage needed for the laptop and smartphone. We also bought a connection drive (shaped like a USB drive) to connect to the local GSM mobile network. It can be credited with minutes every month or when you need them.

RV: Are you satisfied with this mobile outfit, now that you have tested it during training sessions in a few villages?

BK: Definitely! As long as the sun is shining, you will have no problem. When the sun is shining, the battery is charged to the hilt and you can spend several hours on end surfing the Internet.

On yours marks, surf : Boukary Konaté checks the mobile internet outfit

RV: Have you encountered problems occasionally?

BK: The only problem is the speed of the Internet connection via the mobile phone network. In villages where a 3G network is available, it works fine. In more isolated villages in Mali, you can connect only via the EDGE network and the signal is really weak. The other problem is the price of those equipments: thanks to the Rising Voices grant, we were able to spend more than 300 euros but it is way above the means of a village.

RV: Does it require special technical knowledge to rig the solar cell to the battery and laptop?

BK: Not really. You don't need a lot of time or many people to install the solar cell. Any person with basic knowledge of electricity or cars or motobikes, something manual, can connect the different devices. You must check carefully before buying a solar panel that its capacity is adapted to charge a laptop battery to the full.

RV: Is it heavy? Can you travel from village to village with this system on a bike or a motorbike?

BK: No, unfortunately no, you need a car. The solar cell is not heavy, but it is too big to attach it to a bike and risk breaking it.

In between training sessions, this mobile outfit is stored in Cinzana-Gare, easily accessible from Bamako, via the tar-road to Ivory Coast. Local villagers have seized this opportunity to experiment with it. This summer, a local farmer, Mr Mobodo Traoré, has become really keen on the Internet. On August 29, he has sent to the capital Bamako, via Internet, his monitoring sheet of rainfalls through summer, a topic of burning interest to Malians, because next winter's food autonomy and food prices depend on it.

Ségou Villages: Praying for Rain

Thalia Rahme — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:33:21 +0000

Ségou villages have been happy celebrating the end of the month of Ramadan. It has also been a double celebration, since finally after a long month of praying and waiting, it rained in this region of Mali. Even though it was long past due, the rains were a welcome sight to see. The rainy season, wintering, or “hivernage,” as it is known in French, refers to this period of time where farmers sow their seeds before cultivating. Unless there is a sufficient amount of water, usually through rains, then there is a risk that the crops would be damaged. It was a topic covered by the new bloggers from the Rising Voices grantee project Ségou Villages Connection.

Oumar Dembéle (@D1Oumar) from Cinzana Gare, who was featured in one of the featured bloggers interviews, tweets [fr]:

L'hivernage commence bien actuellement au Mali. Il pleut chaque jour.

The rainy season has now started in Mali. It rains every day.

He also expressed his fears about this season in this tweet [fr]:

On dit que l'abondance des lianes en début d'hivernage n'est pas un bon signe.Elle peut provoquer selon la tradition la rareté de la pluie.

They say that the abundance of lianas at the start of wintering is not a good sign. According to tradition, it could cause a scarcity of rain.

A field in Ségou Region. Image from Ségou Info French Blog

What seemed to be a superstition came true, and Oumar fears were confirmed. Indeed, the project coordinator, Boukary Konaté, (@fasokan) also posted a series of tweets on this problem [fr]:

Les populations de certaines communes de Ségou veulent de la pluie maintenant. #villageinfos

The populations of some Ségou villages want rain, right now

Boukary adds that farmers have not been able to sow their fields [fr] because of the scarcity of rains making the soil especially dry [fr]. He explains the situation in a blog post on Segou Infos [fr]:

L’hivernage a commencé. La semence n’est pas finie et il ne pleut pas beaucoup encore. Voici deux semaines qu’il ne pleut pas dans certains villages de Ségou et cela inquiète beaucoup les populations. « Oui, le service de la météo nous dit de ne pas nous inquiéter, qu’il va pleuvoir jusqu’en novembre, d’accord, mais est-ce que c’est en novembre qu’on va semer. », disent certains paysans. Ils ajoutent que le sarclage peut peut-être attendre, mais la période des semences passe.Le sol est partout sec et pour cela, certains paysans restent à la maison à l’attente de la pluie, mais d’autres partent travailler le sol sec. C’est ce manque de pluie qui est à la UNE au village et chacun prie pour qu’il pleuve

Wintering has started. Sowing has not finished and it is not raining much yet. It has not rained in two weeks in some Ségou villages and this is worrying the populations. ”Yes, the weather forecast service is telling us not to worry, and that it will rain in November. It's ok, but will we wait till November to sow?” ask some peasants. They add that weeding might wait, but sowing period would be overdue. The soil is dry everywhere and that's why some farmers are staying at home waiting for rain, but others go to work even under drought. It is the scarcity of rain that is making the headlines in the villages and everybody is praying it rains.

Throughout the first part of August, it still had not rained, but finally on August 19th the crisis appeared to be over. Boukary tweeted [fr]:

Il a plu dans la Région de Ségou aujourd'hui: 16 mm à Bamaoussobougou/Cinzana-Gare

It rained in Ségou today: 16 mm in Bamaoussobougou/Cinzana-Gare

And days later it started to rain regularly [fr]. Yaya Coulibaly (@ycoulibaly) who also featured in one of Rising Voices featured blogger interviews was overjoyed as he states on August 29th:

après une semaine sans pluie les habitants de cinzana -Gare commence a sourire ce matin après 21mm de pluie<

After one week without rain, Cinzana-Gare residents are beginning to smile this morning following 21mm of rain.

Rain Gauge in Bamoussobougou. Image from Ségou Infos blog

To conclude, Modobo Traoré, a farmer in Bamoussobougou in Cinzana-Gare, sends a list of rainfalls for the month of August, which was posted on the Ségou Infos blog [fr]:

Lundi 25/07/2011 = 6 mm
- Mardi 26/07/2011 = 23 mm
- Samedi 30/07/2011 = 35 mm
- Jeudi 04/08/2011 = 5 mm
- Lundi 08/08/2011 = 3,5 mm
- Vendredi 12§08/2011 = 6,5 mm
- Dimache 14/08/2011 = 49 mm
- Mardi 16/08/2011 = 12 mm
- Vendredi 19/08/2011 = 16 mm
- Samedi 20/08/2011 = 10 mm
- Jeudi 226/08/2011 = 4,5 mm
- Lundi 29/08/2011 = 25 mm

Monday 25/07/2011 = 6 mm
- Tuesday 26/07/2011 = 23 mm
- Saturday 30/07/2011 = 35 mm
- Thursday 04/08/2011 = 5 mm
- Monday 08/08/2011 = 3,5 mm
- Friday 12§08/2011 = 6,5 mm
- Sunday 14/08/2011 = 49 mm
- Tuesday 16/08/2011 = 12 mm
- Friday 19/08/2011 = 16 mm
- Saturday 20/08/2011 = 10 mm
- Thursday 226/08/2011 = 4,5 mm
- Monday 29/08/2011 = 25 mm

With this peace of mind, residents of the Ségou villages were able to celebrate Eid in a happy and festive mood.

Featured Blogger: Oumar Dembélé

Thalia Rahme — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:26:02 +0000

Following the interview with Yaya Coulibaly, Rising Voices would like to introduce you to Oumar Dembélé, a primary school teacher at Zambougou public school located in the town of Cinzana-Gare in Ségou Region of Mali. Oumar is also a part of the Ségou Villages Connection project one of RV grantees that started in 2011. Being a teacher presents an advantage for Oumar since he is accustomed to communicating with his students and their families. And he is using these communication skills when he communicates with others, in this case, with the villagers. He has been collecting their stories to send them via SMS to the project leader Boukary Konaté, who publishes them on the Ségou Infos blog [fr]. Aside from his job and training in technology, he enjoys playing sports and reading. He also likes to stay busy, and during school vacation he works in the field of agriculture.

In this email interview, Oumar who tweets on @D1Oumar, shares with us his hobbies, his journey with the the project, and about the positive impact as a result of the training.

Oumar Dembélé – Ségou Village representative in Zambougo

Rising Voices: Tell us about your journey with the Ségou Villages project. Why did you join? What is your role in the project?

Oumar Dembélé: I joined the team thanks to Mr. Boukary Konaté – @Fasokan during his trip to Cinzana-Gare. He suggested that I join this project consisting of sending information by SMS, then we underwent training on the internet in Dioro. I became interested in the project because I noticed that we don't speak much about what is happening in rural localities. Media often ignores realities of the rural world.

RV: How do you collect the information? Are the people willing to share information?

OD: Making contact with the people does not represent a problem for the moment, since I am an educator, so I know how to approach people.

RV: You are a schoolteacher, to which extent you think that your career is benefiting from the training you received? How do you think you can make your students and colleagues benefit from it?

OD : Evidently, I often ask myself the same question. We take part in good initiatives but we lack means to implement them. I am quite involved despite my resources and I have two other colleagues who are very committed as well. I think that our goals shall be reached with commitment and collaboration of each one of us.

RV: Segou Infos was created because of the lack of contact or communication in Mali, mainly between cities (especially the capital city of Bamako) and the country's rural communities. How do you think this initiative can be improved and developed in order to have a wider reach?

OD:This initiative cannot be improved and developed without the multiplication of efforts to access devices and materials that will help us to publish photos and information on the internet. I say photos because images provide much more detail. The goal of this project is to connect the rural world with current events and to have the same consideration on all levels. If all participants fully carry out their roles, Ségou Infos will have a larger reach.

RV: Can you describe what life is like in the Ségou region?

OD: Ségou is a historical city with big heroes such as Binton Coulibali, N’Golo Diarra, Da Monzon Diarra, etc. It is composed of the Bambara ethnic group, De Bozo, Sarakolé, Peulh and other groups. Agriculture, cattle raising, farming, fishing, and commerce are the activities there, with agriculture being the most prevailing and most important activity.

The Market in Ségou Région – Image from Ségou Infos Blog.

RV: Anything you would like to add as a last world to Rising Voices readers that are from all over the world?

OD: First of all, I salute Boukary Konaté who suggested this initiative to me. I ask Global Voices readers to come and visit Ségou to learn about many things that are not often talked about. Thanks to all.

Playing Tamtam. Photo by Ségou Infos

Interview originally conducted in French

Featured Blogger: Yaya Coulibaly

Thalia Rahme — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:39:52 +0000

Yaya Coulibaly is an agronomist at the Cinzana-Gare Agricultural Research Station located in Cinzana-Gare, a village located 37 km from the town of Ségou. The Station's mission is to improve crops to help out the local rural communities for their agricultural practices. Yaya is also a participant in the Rising Voices grantee project Ségou Villages Connection, where he has taken part in various trainings conducted by Boukary Konaté, as a way to tell some of the stories of these rural communities in the Ségou region despite many difficulties in regards to internet connectivity. He has created a Twitter account (@YCoulibaly), where he has started to tweet about in French about this part of the country that he knows so well because of his work. He has also contributed to the project's blog at Ségou Infos [fr].

Yaya Coulibaly from the Toujours Pas Sages

In this email interviewed Yaya, who shares his experiences, future visions, and the need for new technologies in rural Mali.

Rising Voices: Tell us about your journey with the Ségou Villages project. Why did you join? What is your role in the project?

Yaya Coulibaly: I met Boukary Konaté, the founder of the project, during one of the internet training workshop for the local population. After learning about the aspired goals of the Ségou Villages project, I decided to join the team. Given the need to establish a way to inform, communicate, and share experiences in this space, I found that this idea can help address the misinformation about the villages, and above all else, inform city-dwellers and those living in other countries about the daily activities in our communities. The relevance and originality of the initiative are two factors that motivated me to take part with Ségou Infos.

My role in the group is just like the other members, which consists of collecting information on the current events, current affairs, traditions, cultural activities, traditional ceremonies, and send them to Boukary via SMS, who in tern, publishes them on the Ségou Infos blog. Even though it is not easy, we do our best to send a photo to complement the sent text.

RV: How do you collect the information? Are the people willing to share information?

YC: Information gathering happens in different ways. Things can happen right in front of us, and we can this information without having to resort to others’ report because we witnessed it. Things can also happen in the far-away villages, and once we find out about these things, we can go to the villages to collect the information directly from the source. Sometimes if transportation is not easy, we can call someone from that village, who can provide us with a concrete version of the story.

As for traditions and culture, we speak to the elderly residents who are the guardians of those customs. As African children, we had some notions of these stories that we learned since we were very young. We can share those stories with other persons through SMS. It is not very easy to contact these people because our rural society is not used to this kind of activity. It is not easy for them to understand why they should provide this information. This, by the way, is what often explains the slow speed of sending information to the blog. But since we are determined to make this project successful and with Boukary's strong will, little by little we shall manage to help the population understand the initiative. What we do is a bit similar to journalism, but here it is a very modern and new idea.

RV: You are an agronomist and it is a bit different from your activities with Ségou Villages. Therefore, to which extent do you think that your career is benefiting from the training you received? How do you think new technologies can help in our daily life?

YC: I am the primary beneficiary, but these group activities involving phones allowed me to pursue other activities, in addition to voice communication. At work, I sometimes have access to machines and the internet, but I didn't have much idea how to best use them. But thanks to the SMS, photography, and video-filming workshops with mobile phones and digital cameras held in Cinzana-Gare and Dioro given by Boukary, I am much more informed, which allows me to easily perform certain activities within the framework of my own job and my own daily activities on the internet. Thanks to those different trainings, I discovered that new technologies can enable villages to communicate with the rest of the world, and take part in the sharing of information, experiences, and knowledge in the modern world.

Photo from the training in Dioro – Image by Ségou Info Blog on Rising Voices

YC: The daily activities of the Malian cities are regularly covered by the media, such as television, radio, and newspapers. When it comes to information and communication, radio also plays an important role in rural communities. Despite all this, there is a big gap between cities and villages. The Ségou Infos blog intends to break down the wall between the Ségou villages and the capital Bamako in terms of information about the daily activities of the local populations. Currently, information is only sent via SMS using less-than-appropriate phones with small buttons. Our job would be much easier if we were using smart phones with larger keyboards. 3G options with smart phones would reduce sending time to the blog administrator especially for images. The mobile internet multiplication designed by Boukary is an important system that makes the job easier. If each participant had at his disposal the material of this internet connection system in the villages, we would would be able to update the blog, just as it is done in the city.

Cinzana Gare in Ségou – Image from Ségou Infos Blog on Rising Voices

RV: Can you describe what life is like in the Ségou region?

YC: Ségou is the 4th region in Mali with a lot of mixed ethnicity: the Bozos, the Somonos, the Bamanan, and the Peulhs. The main activities are agriculture, livestock, and fishing. There is a culture of rice-growing, fishing, and gardening that are favored because of the Niger River. The Bambara language is widespread in the Ségou region. In addition to those activities, trade is well practiced at the weekly fair in Ségou and in other villages around the region. Those markets allow the people of the Ségou region to contribute to the development of the region. Ségou is an ancient kingdom, the region contains touristic sites that are worth being discovered. One of Ségou's strengths is the sense of sociability, mutual support, solidarity, and hospitality towards all that visit us. In certain families in some Ségou villages, a house built only to host foreign visitors.

RV:Anything you would like to add as a last world to Rising Voices readers that are from all over the world?

YC: As a last word, I would like first of all to thank Boukary Konaté, who with his courage and commitment to his native community, helped us discover new ideas on the internet. It is an opportunity for me as well, to say that those activities have been an opportunity for the participants to discover Global Voices and Rising Voices, and their important activities achieved in terms of the promotion of information and new technologies. I ask the readers to help support us with mobile phones and used computers so that we can reach the aspired goal: to inform the rest of the world about our activities.

Interview originally conducted in French