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ICT4D postcards

by kiwanja

“Luxury Travel Stories is about the idea of connecting the world via ‘stories’ in postcard format. A photo with accompanying text no more than what would fit on the back of a postcard”.

Last month I was invited to contribute a postcard to the Luxury Travel Stories project, and chose the photo – and text – below. You can view the post, and those from other contributors, here. The whole site is based on the idea of “connecting the world via ‘stories’ in postcard format. A photo with accompanying text no more than what would fit on the back of a postcard”. Like “Dear Photograph” (which I blogged about here), it’s a simple but compelling idea.

It was 2004, and I was working on a project which took me to the intersection of technology and international development. Much to many people’s surprise, mobile phones were beginning to make their way into parts of rural Africa, including areas like that in the photo. This is Bushbuckridge – an area which straddles Kruger National Park in South Africa. These women spend most of their days queueing for water, and we pulled up one morning when I took this shot. I use it a lot in my work. It highlights the challenges we face in the development community, and challenges me to think hard about the role of technology – if any – in improving people’s lives.

One of the things I’ve always maintained is that we often know little about the background and motivation of people working in our field, and how they came to work in it. So, in part as a way to rectify this I thought it would be great to put together a slideshow of ICT4D-related postcards to share online.

If you’d like to take part I’ll need the following:

1. A photo (high resolution if possible) – one you’ve taken, please. All it needs to qualify is to have a technology theme – radio, mobile phone, computer, solar lamp and so on.
2. Details of where it was taken and the year (if you remember).
3. A short description of what it is, and why it means something to you. Keep it short – think back of a postcard! We want personal stories – how you connect with the picture – not just a description of what it is.
4. A link to your website, blog or Twitter handle (or all three) so I can point people back to you and your work.

You can email all of this to postcards@kiwanja.net

Once I have enough I’ll pull everything together and drop it into Slideshare. If enough people contribute it might be fun to map the photos, and stories, on Ushahidi.

Looking forward to seeing where this goes…

36 comments

1 Ken Banks { 10.14.11 at 3:20 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

2 Maria's Libraries { 10.14.11 at 3:23 pm }

RT @kiwanja Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/pwymDRKn

3 e-Agriculture { 10.14.11 at 3:39 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

4 Federica Bizzocchi { 10.14.11 at 3:57 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

5 Shikoh Gitau { 10.14.11 at 4:21 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

6 Top Anthropology { 10.14.11 at 4:22 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

7 Ritse Erumi { 10.14.11 at 4:27 pm }

From @kiwanja: Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/KBXV4a1D

8 ICT4D postcards | Global Health Hub { 10.14.11 at 6:45 pm }

[...] Continue reading here: ICT4D postcards [...]

9 Fr@nthro { 10.14.11 at 7:36 pm }

#anthro blog post: ICT4D postcards: “Luxury Travel Stories is about the idea of connecting the world via ‘sto… http://t.co/rCJ9XjTl

10 changefeed { 10.14.11 at 7:37 pm }

->@kiwanja: ICT4D postcards http://t.co/tZ0oVSFS

11 Clare Hanbury { 10.14.11 at 8:28 pm }

->@kiwanja: ICT4D postcards http://t.co/tZ0oVSFS

12 Khuram Hussain { 10.15.11 at 1:20 am }

Great idea from @kiwanja…ITC4D postcards..please contribute with a story if you have one: http://t.co/nzOj6a7I

13 Daraja { 10.15.11 at 11:24 am }

A postcard on technology in development (in rural water supply) from Ken Banks of FrontlineSMS http://t.co/CHkkLSdc

14 Ken Banks { 10.17.11 at 7:34 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

15 Gweneth Barry { 10.17.11 at 7:59 pm }

RT@Kiwanja Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/tyHuOu46

16 Paradigm Initiative { 10.17.11 at 8:17 pm }

"@kiwanja: Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/hUFgqoBt"

17 Wayan Vota { 10.24.11 at 6:02 pm }

#ICT4D postcards – actually a pretty cool idea. Just "sent" a postcard to mom. So should you –> http://t.co/gmHib8bx

18 ICT_Works { 10.24.11 at 6:50 pm }

Send an #ICT4D postcard. It can save a child, cure cancer, or just be a fun way to celebrate a moment in our profession http://t.co/BUJjLt41

19 Maureen Agena { 10.24.11 at 6:50 pm }

Send an #ICT4D postcard. It can save a child, cure cancer, or just be a fun way to celebrate a moment in our profession http://t.co/BUJjLt41

20 TechChange { 10.27.11 at 5:10 pm }

Pretty fantastic thoughts- #ICT4D postcards | Build it Kenny, and they will come… @kiwanja http://t.co/VbX5lRBZ

21 eliphaz { 10.27.11 at 5:14 pm }

Africa do Sul. Mulheres a espera do líquido divino, ÀGUA! http://t.co/Wb7f2RRJ

22 John Cleverley { 10.27.11 at 5:48 pm }

Pretty fantastic thoughts- #ICT4D postcards | Build it Kenny, and they will come… @kiwanja http://t.co/VbX5lRBZ

23 ITEP at AU { 10.28.11 at 12:30 am }

RT @ict_works Send #ICT4D postcard It can save a child, cure cancer or be a fun way to celeb a moment in our profession http://t.co/Qvm7USef

24 Refugees United { 10.30.11 at 8:37 am }

RT @TopsyRT: ICT4D postcards http://t.co/F5yQruMA

25 Ken Banks { 10.30.11 at 5:11 pm }

Getting some great entries for the "ICT4D Postcards Project". It's not too late to send in yours. http://t.co/MBfg51s1 #ICT4D

26 Cathie { 10.30.11 at 5:12 pm }

Getting some great entries for the "ICT4D Postcards Project". It's not too late to send in yours. http://t.co/MBfg51s1 #ICT4D

27 Ashraf Patel { 10.30.11 at 5:55 pm }

Getting some great entries for the "ICT4D Postcards Project". It's not too late to send in yours. http://t.co/MBfg51s1 #ICT4D

28 Roos Korste { 10.30.11 at 6:42 pm }

RT @kiwanja: Getting some great entries for the "ICT4D Postcards Project". It's not too late to send in yours. http://t.co/4MJzYtay #ICT4D

29 David Crespo { 10.31.11 at 3:31 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

30 TedxChapelHill { 10.31.11 at 3:39 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

31 IntraHealthOPEN { 10.31.11 at 3:39 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

32 Jaume Fortuny { 10.31.11 at 4:40 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

33 giulio quaggiotto { 10.31.11 at 4:48 pm }

Work in #ICT4D? Got a photo? Got a story to go with it? Submit it to the "ICT4D postcards" collection. http://t.co/4xuCn4P7

34 ICT4D postcards: The story so far | Build it Kenny, and they will come... { 11.02.11 at 12:35 pm }

[...] couple of weeks ago I send out an open invitation for people to contribute to the “ICT4D Postcards Project“. The idea was to gather a collection of postcards from people working in international [...]

35 “ICT4D postcards”: The picture so far { 11.03.11 at 12:30 pm }

[...] couple of weeks ago I sent out an open invitation for people to contribute to the “ICT4D Postcards Project“. The idea was to gather a collection of postcards from people working in international [...]

36 ICT4What? « KM on a dollar a day { 11.23.11 at 2:19 pm }

[...] has been a rash of heated discussion on the nature and future of ICT for Development sparked by Ken Bank’s ICT4D postcards competition. Perhaps the best summary of the discussion to date can be found on Linda Raftree’s [...]

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