Comments on: Dilemmas of innovation and invisibility http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/ Where technology meets anthropology, conservation and development Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:10:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Lynda Morrison http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-4950 Lynda Morrison Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:22:35 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-4950 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Dilemmas of innovation and invisibility | Build it Kenny, and they... http://tinyurl.com/yj48jcl</span></span> Dilemmas of innovation and invisibility | Build it Kenny, and they… http://tinyurl.com/yj48jcl

]]> By: Hannes http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2484 Hannes Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:26:24 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2484 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/bill_easterly">@bill_easterly</a> RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a>: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/hnnsbhrnbrg/status/5184748594">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> RT @bill_easterly RT @kiwanja: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: Hannes Bahrenburg http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2743 Hannes Bahrenburg Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:26:24 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2743 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/bill_easterly">@bill_easterly</a> RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a>: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/hnnsbhrnbrg/status/5184748594">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> RT @bill_easterly RT @kiwanja: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: jane moyo http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-1980 jane moyo Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:31:18 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-1980 Isn't visibilityalso about ensuring that commuity voices are heard more widely? That's not just about NGOs taking more of a back seat at local and national level but also ensuring that authentic community voices are heard internationally too. We know that change cannot be imposed so doesn't that mean taking community representatives to decision making fora so that they are enabled to hold policy makers to account themselves? Isn’t visibilityalso about ensuring that commuity voices are heard more widely? That’s not just about NGOs taking more of a back seat at local and national level but also ensuring that authentic community voices are heard internationally too. We know that change cannot be imposed so doesn’t that mean taking community representatives to decision making fora so that they are enabled to hold policy makers to account themselves?

]]> By: Ian Thorpe http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2485 Ian Thorpe Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:16:11 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2485 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Thought provoking post abt probs w/ aid visibility RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a> Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/ithorpe/status/5181675532">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> Thought provoking post abt probs w/ aid visibility RT @kiwanja Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: rob allen http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-1979 rob allen Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:20:46 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-1979 This post describes one of the major problems of development. I've had the privilage of working in black female dominated NGOs in africa and I've always made a point of staying behind the scenes because I had no right to lead - It's often frustrating (in many ways) but I believe the only correct thing to do. Of course it hits what you are able to personally achieve because prestige and status is very much tied to leadership in Africa and if you aren't the at the helm then it is very difficult to effect any change beyond your own microsphere. So what do you do? well personally I believe that good development is about empowerment and particularly the empowerment of local people who can build the local economy in a responsible and relevatively unselfish manner - If all the giveaways went this way then a lot more would be achieved but the establishment would also lose a lot of control which is difficult for them to accept. Mobile technologies are fundamentally empowerment technologies and as such they bring the opportunity to do good development but empowerment is just about giving people the tools, they need to become the experts and innovators in using those tools and making that a reality without being highly visible is not easy. This post describes one of the major problems of development. I’ve had the privilage of working in black female dominated NGOs in africa and I’ve always made a point of staying behind the scenes because I had no right to lead – It’s often frustrating (in many ways) but I believe the only correct thing to do. Of course it hits what you are able to personally achieve because prestige and status is very much tied to leadership in Africa and if you aren’t the at the helm then it is very difficult to effect any change beyond your own microsphere. So what do you do? well personally I believe that good development is about empowerment and particularly the empowerment of local people who can build the local economy in a responsible and relevatively unselfish manner – If all the giveaways went this way then a lot more would be achieved but the establishment would also lose a lot of control which is difficult for them to accept. Mobile technologies are fundamentally empowerment technologies and as such they bring the opportunity to do good development but empowerment is just about giving people the tools, they need to become the experts and innovators in using those tools and making that a reality without being highly visible is not easy.

]]> By: Schimmelpfennig http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2486 Schimmelpfennig Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:10:34 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2486 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Well worth reading - RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a>: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/saundra_s/status/5173567896">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> Well worth reading – RT @kiwanja: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: William Easterly http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2487 William Easterly Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:05:21 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2487 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Great! RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a>: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/bill_easterly/status/5173457500">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> Great! RT @kiwanja: Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: Ken Banks http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2488 Ken Banks Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:38:28 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2488 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/kiwanja/status/5172909568">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> Dilemmas of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: Kaushal http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-2489 Kaushal Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:21:50 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-2489 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a>: The personal dilemma of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span> <div class="topsy_trackback_links">[<a href="http://twitter.com/ksjhalla/status/5167990412">Original tweet</a>, <a href="http://topsy.com/tb/www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/">Topsy page</a>]</div></span> RT @kiwanja: The personal dilemma of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

[Original tweet, Topsy page]

]]> By: Kaushal Jhalla http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-6288 Kaushal Jhalla Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:21:50 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-6288 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">RT <a href="http://topsy.com/twitter/kiwanja">@kiwanja</a>: The personal dilemma of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB</span></span> RT @kiwanja: The personal dilemma of development, and the strive for invisibility. http://is.gd/4z2VB

]]> By: kiwanja http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/10/dilemmas-of-innovation-and-invisibility/comment-page-1/#comment-1976 kiwanja Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:44:58 +0000 http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/?p=2738#comment-1976 Thanks for the comments. A bit of a tricky post and it took a couple of days to fall into place. There are few right or wrong opinions on this kind of topic - it's just that sometimes it's uncomfortable seeing just one side having all the control, all the say. Things don't seem to have come on a long way since I started taking an interest in development almost 20 years ago, but think mobile technology does give us the best chance of breaking the mould if we do it sensibly and sensitively. Thanks for the comments. A bit of a tricky post and it took a couple of days to fall into place. There are few right or wrong opinions on this kind of topic – it’s just that sometimes it’s uncomfortable seeing just one side having all the control, all the say.

Things don’t seem to have come on a long way since I started taking an interest in development almost 20 years ago, but think mobile technology does give us the best chance of breaking the mould if we do it sensibly and sensitively.

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