Internet platform for an African Renaissance
Aims and Goals
AfricAvenir's Internet project goes back to 1994 when the first attempts were made in Douala to create a knowledge database focussing on local expertise on the Central African region. However, all these attempts were suppressed and it was only with the founding of AfricAvenir’s German section in Summer 2000 that the project could effectively start. As a concrete response to the Northern discourse ownership, the objectives of the AfricAvenir web platform can shortly be summarised as follows:
Collect and structure Africa-centred electronic content
One key objective of the site is to collect, via extensive and systematic Internet search, all Africa-centred expertise already available online. Concretely this means that the project seeks to assemble, structure and give access to the existing African Renaissance expertise and scholarship through a single Internet platform. This includes all kinds of full text scientific publications like scholarly papers, conference and seminar reports, research reports, policy documents, historical documents, speeches, books, reviews, project evaluations etc. in all widely used formats. It moreover implied the establishment of a structure in accordance with the categories suggested by the African renaissance literature as being the crucial areas of concern for Africa's future development. Each of these vast fields are being structured according to the contemporary debate, giving a general introduction and commenting on different strands of thought, debates and theories.
Encourage Africa-centred publication and research
From the very start of the project, it was also intended to use the website as a publishing platform, including contributions by AfricAvenir, its partners and like-minded people and institutions, but also widely inaccessible historical documents and material. Therefore, several publication formats were created in order to participate and have a voice in the African renaissance discourse. This includes the e-journal ‘AfricAvenir Dialog Forum', an ‘Occasional Papers Series' and a ‘Student Papers Series', but also ‘Internship and Exchange Reports' and the ‘AfricAvenir Newsletter'. The website also gives AfricAvenir the unprecedented possibility to publish the main results of its daily activities, namely contributions presented on its conferences, seminars, round tables and particularly the African palavers. It further involves the publication of authors and writers totally excluded from the dominant discourses since deprived of the access to Northern publication structures. These ‘indigenous experts' often do not have titles or academic positions, but rather are part of the traditional civil society or simply working in non-academic professions.
Foster communication and networking between Africa-centred actors and activists
The main characteristic and innovative element of the Internet, beyond its knowledge dissemination and collection possibilities, is the interactive and participative possibilities it offers to anyone willing to acquire the technical and cultural skills needed. The ‘discussion group' is one of the new phenomena of the Information Age. Bound by common interests, mostly without ever meeting each other ‘in real', people around the world communicate and share information and knowledge through the Internet. A virtual space is created for everyone to participate in discussions on topics of common interest. It is certainly true that African participation in such discussion groups is still low, due to both low and often bad connectivity and high costs.
Collect and structure Africa-centred electronic content
One key objective of the site is to collect, via extensive and systematic Internet search, all Africa-centred expertise already available online. Concretely this means that the project seeks to assemble, structure and give access to the existing African Renaissance expertise and scholarship through a single Internet platform. This includes all kinds of full text scientific publications like scholarly papers, conference and seminar reports, research reports, policy documents, historical documents, speeches, books, reviews, project evaluations etc. in all widely used formats. It moreover implied the establishment of a structure in accordance with the categories suggested by the African renaissance literature as being the crucial areas of concern for Africa's future development. Each of these vast fields are being structured according to the contemporary debate, giving a general introduction and commenting on different strands of thought, debates and theories.
Encourage Africa-centred publication and research
From the very start of the project, it was also intended to use the website as a publishing platform, including contributions by AfricAvenir, its partners and like-minded people and institutions, but also widely inaccessible historical documents and material. Therefore, several publication formats were created in order to participate and have a voice in the African renaissance discourse. This includes the e-journal ‘AfricAvenir Dialog Forum', an ‘Occasional Papers Series' and a ‘Student Papers Series', but also ‘Internship and Exchange Reports' and the ‘AfricAvenir Newsletter'. The website also gives AfricAvenir the unprecedented possibility to publish the main results of its daily activities, namely contributions presented on its conferences, seminars, round tables and particularly the African palavers. It further involves the publication of authors and writers totally excluded from the dominant discourses since deprived of the access to Northern publication structures. These ‘indigenous experts' often do not have titles or academic positions, but rather are part of the traditional civil society or simply working in non-academic professions.
Foster communication and networking between Africa-centred actors and activists
The main characteristic and innovative element of the Internet, beyond its knowledge dissemination and collection possibilities, is the interactive and participative possibilities it offers to anyone willing to acquire the technical and cultural skills needed. The ‘discussion group' is one of the new phenomena of the Information Age. Bound by common interests, mostly without ever meeting each other ‘in real', people around the world communicate and share information and knowledge through the Internet. A virtual space is created for everyone to participate in discussions on topics of common interest. It is certainly true that African participation in such discussion groups is still low, due to both low and often bad connectivity and high costs.
Selection Criteria
Degree of Africa-centredness of a Text
To what extent does a given text build on the African Experience and contribute to the construction of the African pyramid of knowledge? To what extent does it hence contribute to reverse the eurocentric order of knowledge? While such a criterion naturally favours African authors, it does not exclude self-critical Northern contributions.
Degree of Local Relevance of a Text
To what extent does a text build on local realities and contribute to the provision of fundamental and long-term solutions to social problems in Africa. Hence, to what extent does a given text contribute to bridging the diagnosed gap between research and reality on the continent and empower people to ‘control the forces which shape their lives'. This criterion does favour local researchers living and working on the continent but again does not exclude exiled or diasporal Africans or foreign authors.
Regenerative Capacity of a Text
The regenerative capacity criterion refers to the capacity of a text to regenerate and re-invigorate what Foucault has called the ‘subjugated knowledges', the indigenous and popular knowledges, values and practices that have been buried and declared irrelevant, inadequate or insufficiently elaborated by the dominant Western scientific discourses.
Degree of Innovation and Topicality
A major criterion is the topicality of the contribution. The ability of a text to spur new debates and to point to new research areas, in accordance with other criteria listed above.
Degree of Adaptability to African Realities
Mainly concerning non-African texts and authors, priority is given to these contributions which can easily be appropriated by African researchers and thus again contribute to the African knowledge system and an Africa-centred discourse. Such foreign contributions are likely to come from similar contexts such as other Third World countries. Yet, there is also a whole range of Northern contributions likely to fit this criterion and contribute to intellectual liberation in Africa. Examples of such works and authors include whole schools of thought like post-colonial or subaltern studies and post-structuralist intellectuals which in both North and South are ignored and marginalised from the dominant discourses.
To what extent does a given text build on the African Experience and contribute to the construction of the African pyramid of knowledge? To what extent does it hence contribute to reverse the eurocentric order of knowledge? While such a criterion naturally favours African authors, it does not exclude self-critical Northern contributions.
Degree of Local Relevance of a Text
To what extent does a text build on local realities and contribute to the provision of fundamental and long-term solutions to social problems in Africa. Hence, to what extent does a given text contribute to bridging the diagnosed gap between research and reality on the continent and empower people to ‘control the forces which shape their lives'. This criterion does favour local researchers living and working on the continent but again does not exclude exiled or diasporal Africans or foreign authors.
Regenerative Capacity of a Text
The regenerative capacity criterion refers to the capacity of a text to regenerate and re-invigorate what Foucault has called the ‘subjugated knowledges', the indigenous and popular knowledges, values and practices that have been buried and declared irrelevant, inadequate or insufficiently elaborated by the dominant Western scientific discourses.
Degree of Innovation and Topicality
A major criterion is the topicality of the contribution. The ability of a text to spur new debates and to point to new research areas, in accordance with other criteria listed above.
Degree of Adaptability to African Realities
Mainly concerning non-African texts and authors, priority is given to these contributions which can easily be appropriated by African researchers and thus again contribute to the African knowledge system and an Africa-centred discourse. Such foreign contributions are likely to come from similar contexts such as other Third World countries. Yet, there is also a whole range of Northern contributions likely to fit this criterion and contribute to intellectual liberation in Africa. Examples of such works and authors include whole schools of thought like post-colonial or subaltern studies and post-structuralist intellectuals which in both North and South are ignored and marginalised from the dominant discourses.
Target Groups
Though the site principally addresses everyone interested in the fate of the African continent, it particularly targets those groups of people which are commonly referred to as ‘multiplicators', those, in other words, in a position of spreading and implementing the African renaissance philosophy. These are:
- politicians, parliamentarians, party and trade union members and governmental authorities
- university professors and lecturers
- the African research community (researchers, consultants)
- educators and teachers
- students and pupils
- journalists and communicators
- traditional authorities
- foreign aid and international institution staff
- social workers
- private entrepreneurs and traders