"Community Engagement and the Library Professional"
Cases in São Tomé and Príncipe, and East St. Louis (USA)
Damon Augustus McGhee
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
501 E. Daniel Street, Room 112, Champaign, IL 61820-6211
(708) 466-4946 (USA)
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
T hi s p ap er rep r e se n t s a p er so n al na r r at i ve re gar d in g t wo Co m mu n i t y I n fo r mat ic s i n it ia ti ve s
sp o n so red b y a t ea m o f st ud e nt s a nd fac u lt y me mb e rs fro m t he Grad ua t e S c ho o l o f Lib r ar y a nd
I n fo r ma t io n Sci e nce at t he U n i ver si t y o f I ll i no i s at Urb a na - C h a mp a i g n. It wi l l p ro vid e a n
ind i vid u al ‟s p er sp e ct i ve o n a t wo - we e k i mp l e me nt at io n p ro j ec t i n Ea st St. Lo u is i n lat e -M a y
2 0 0 9 , a nd a fi ve - we e k tr ip to São To mé a nd P rí n cip e fro m J ul y to Au g u s t o f 2 0 0 9 . Ea st St.
Lo u i s i s a ci t y lo ca ted o n t he so ut h - we s t b o rd er o f I ll i no i s, U S A, d ire ct l y e a st acro s s t h e
Mi ss i ss ip p i Ri ver fr o m St. Lo u i s, M i sso ur i. Sã o To mé a nd P r í ncip e i s an i sl a nd - nat io n o ff t h e
we s t co a st o f Af r i ca i n t he G u l f o f G ui ne a.
T he co m mu n i t y i n fo r ma t ic s i n it ia ti ve s i n vo l v ed t hre e l ib rar y a nd i n fo r ma tio n sc ie nc e st ud e n t s
he lp i n g to b u ild co mp ut er lab s, a ss es s i n g co mp u ter tec h no lo g y u sa ge i n eac h co m mu n i t y, a nd
o ver al l d e v elo p i n g a nd s u st ai n i n g d i alo g ue b et wee n t h e u ni v ers it y a nd t he p eo p l e i n eac h
co m mu n i t y. I n São To mé a nd P r í n cip e sp eci fic a ll y, i n ad d i tio n to t he a fo re me nt io ned d u ti es , I
wa s i n vo l ved wi t h a s ep ar at e p r o j ect a ss e ss i n g c o mp u ter tec h no lo g y o n t he i sl a nd , a nd
j u mp s tar ti n g d i gi ta l s to r yt el li n g - a p ar t icip ato r y a ct io n re se arc h p ro j e c t - wi t h so me o f t he
lo ca l p eo p le li v i n g i n Sã o To mé c it y.
T hi s s to r y is no t o n l y ab o ut s t ud e n t s e n ga g i n g i n tec h no lo g y d e v elo p me n t p ro j ect s – ei t her
in ter n at io na l o r na tio n al – t hi s s to r y i s ab o ut a B lac k Ame ri ca n i n Afri c a, a nd a B la c k A mer ic a n
in a b lac k co m mu n i t y i n t he U ni ted Sta te s.
KEYWORDS:
Africa, United States, GSLIS, Community Informatics, São Tomé and Príncipe, East St. Louis (USA), race,
international, technology, library professional, community, engagement
Introduction
This paper presents my account of a team of library and information science
students and facult y from the Universit y of Illinois and our attempt to appropriate
the use of technology in the São Tomé and Príncipe, and East St. Louis
communities in the summer of 2009. The initiatives in question were sponsored by
the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) following the
endeavors of Communit y Informatics facult y. Communit y Informatics is a
1
philosophy and subfield of study within GSLIS. 1 M y experiences as presented will
cover a two -week technology implementation project in East St. Louis in May
2009, and a five-week trip to São Tomé and Príncipe from July to August 2009, in
addition to a personal reflection on the efforts in both places.
Prior to the summer 2009 trip to São Tomé and Príncipe, GSLIS and
Communit y Informatics students and facult y members have been involved with São
Tomé and Príncipe since 2004; and ESLARP (East St. Louis Action Research
Project) has been involved with East St . Louis since 1987.
GSLIS project efforts in São Tomé and Príncipe have been halted since the
summer of 2009. However, projects are still underway in East St. Louis with
leadership from Communit y Informatics. The projects in East St. Louis will not be
discussed to the extent of the project in São Tomé and Príncipe, because efforts in
East St. Louis are constantl y changing and advancing and the parameters of time
and resources do not allow for such an explanation to be shared in this paper.
The project d ifferences between São Tomé and Príncipe, and East St. Louis
were based on difference in language, culture, and site distance from the
universit y. For example, East St. Louis is a communit y two hours away from the
Universit y of Illinois campus, where the project preparation headquarters are
located. It takes two airplane flights, and a 19 hour trip to get to São Tomé and
Príncipe from the United States. In addition, São Tomé and Príncipe is a
Portuguese speaking country. Convenience was a key element in the longevit y and
overall success of the projects. The responsibilities of each student and facult y
member involved with either communit y was to sustain dialogue with the
communit y members of East St. Louis, and São Tomé and Príncipe respectivel y,
while maintaining the advancement of project efforts.
The efforts of the team in São Tomé and Príncipe carried many negative
undertones, given that many of the plans made prior to the trip were not carried
out. The preparation for São Tomé and Príncipe was inad equate, lacking education
on São Toméan culture and the Portuguese language. In addition, the team hoped
to jumpstart digital storytelling in São Tomé and Príncipe. Digital storytelling is
a communit y-based participatory research method of addressing concerns of
communit y involvement by inviting members of that community to share their life
stories through use of digital images, video, and audio. 2 The use of digital
storytelling in São Tomé and Príncipe would help to spur a lacking scholarship on
the country and include a much excluded São Tomé and Príncipe in the
technological and social globalization movement. However, upon reaching São
Tomé and Príncipe the idea of using the digital storytelling process to learn more
and share more of the São Toméan c ommunit y with the world was unwanted by
majorit y of the team members; instead Photovoice would be used to substitute
digital storytelling. Other initiatives would arise for the team while in São Tomé
and Príncipe.
M y position in each project in East St. Louis and São Tomé and Príncipe,
was that of a Black American male, by intention and/or coincidence. I do not wish
to this that m y being chosen to partake in either project by the facult y had
something to do with the color of m y skin, but I do believe tha t the color of m y
1
T he G rad ua te Sc ho o l o f Lib r ar y a nd I n fo r mat io n Sc ie nc e, “C ert i fi cat e i n Co m mu n i t y
I n fo r ma t ic s,” T he Gr ad u ate Sc ho o l o f Lib rar y a n d In fo r mat io n Sc ie nc e: T he i Sc ho o l a t Il li no i s,
fro m h ttp :/ / ww w. l is .i ll i no i s. ed u/ acad e mi cs /p ro g ra ms / ms / ci i .
2
Al i ne G ub ri u m, “ Di g ita l S to r yt el li n g : a n E mer g en t M et ho d fo r H eal t h P ro mo tio n R es earc h a nd
P racti ce , ” H ea l th P ro mo tio n P ra c ti ce 1 0 , no . 2 ( 2 0 0 9 ), 1 8 6 -8 7 .
2
skin and m y background had much to add to the story of each project. Many a
times I was the onl y Black male present on the project team , among a number of
other international and/or American students. Often times I would have an opinion
or thought that would be opposite to the majorit y, and because of this I would
frequentl y muzzle my thoughts and opinions. Not being able to express m y
opinions or thoughts with the other team members exemplified m y participation in
the project.
In East St. Louis I was involved with supporting a majorit y Black
population, and low-income communit y, which represents m y background. In São
Tomé and Príncipe although the culture was completel y different from m y own as
an American, I shared with them a darker skin complexion. Nonetheless, m y
experience in East St. Louis differed greatl y from m y experience in São Tomé and
Príncipe.
The efforts of Communit y Informatics students and facult y in East St. Louis
are continuall y in motion, but efforts in São Tomé and Príncipe have been halted
due to difficulties in sustaining and executing effective project goals on the island.
As was mentioned, the failures in São Tomé and Príncipe were due to
insufficiencies in the preparation and reflection of each trip to the islands.
Nonetheless, Communit y Informatics offers a number of principles that can guide
students and facult y who are partaking in the efforts in East St. Louis and São
Tomé and Príncipe.
Community Informatics at the University of Illinois
The Graduat e School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the
Universit y of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a program of study called
Communit y Informatics. A working definition for Communit y Informatics is that
it is “an emerging field that represents a co nvergence of information science,
social activism, systems management, technology, policy study, and communit y
practice.” 3 Community Informatics as studied currentl y at the Universit y of
Illinois has flexible definitions of „communit y‟. The program of study strives to
understand varying ways communities work to address their own social,
educational, and technological problems; attempts to introduce tools into
communities that would help mitigate problems; and facilitates and supports the
development and sustainabilit y of knowledge, skills, and tool sharing in
communities. 4
At GSLIS, learning various forms of information building and shar ing is an
essential component in the study of library and information science. Communit y
Informatics as a subfield of study at GS LIS adds to this in many respects, if
considering the main difficult y for any library or library professional is assessing
what information would be important for a communit y, based on necessit y and
request from communit y members. Communit y In formatics confronts
communities‟ economic and social paradig ms that impede their member s‟ access to
information and technology.
The library and/or the library professional can represent an entrepôt for
information. One perspective of Communit y Informati cs neglects the view of the
3
Mi ke N u tt a nd G il so n S ch war tz, “T he S to r y Eco no m y: D i gi ta l S to r yt el li n g i n Eco no mic a nd
Co m mu n i t y De v elo p me n t,” i n P ra to CI R N 2 0 0 8 Co m mu n i ty In fo rma ti cs Co n f e ren ce : I CTS fo r
S o cia l In clu s io n : Wh a t i s R ea li ty? ( Oc to b er 2 0 0 8 ): 5 .
4
Ib id , T h e Gr ad ua te S c h o o l o f Lib r ar y a nd I n fo r ma tio n S cie n ce .
3
library as a particular place for storing books or computer technologies, and
focuses more on dialogue between people and knowledge sharing.
East St. Louis: a low-income, Black American community
According to the 2010 U.S. Cens us Bureau the current population estimate for East
St. Louis is 28,753, which reflects a dwindling number since 1990 when the
population was estimated to be around 40,000. 98 percent of the population of the
cit y is Black/African American, and less than 2 percent is White/Caucasian
American or other. 5
East St. Louis developed around the railroa d industry, warehouses, and
factory productions, including aluminum, concrete block, paint, glass and other
industries. 6 After the Great Depression many industri es were shut down. During
World War II, industries would resume with production for the war. However,
after the war industrial production in East St. Louis witnessed a rapid decline.
Between 1960 and 2000 the cit y‟s population declined, the employme nt rate
worsened, crime increased , casino and adult entertainment venues populated the
area, and living conditions deteriorated .
Currentl y, more than 35 percent of the population of East St. Louis is living
below the povert y level. 7 In order to combat contin ued neighborhood
disorganization, outside efforts from universities and other organizations have
been drawn to East St. Louis, most notably the East St. Louis Action Research
Project (ESLARP) out of the Universit y of Illinois. The internal organization of
East St. Louis still faces educational, social, economic, and environment al
difficulties due to a lack of comprehensive cit y p lanning initiatives.
East St. Louis Project: May 2009
The East St. Louis project I was a part of coincided with the project in São Tomé
and Príncipe. The entire East St. Louis initiative in May 2009 was developed
around a two-week intensive GSLIS course. The course would require students to
build, refurbish, program, and network computers to be distributed to and used in
the São Tomé and Príncipe, and East St. Louis communities . The class was very
intensive: it ran three days a week, for seven hours each day, and included an
additional period of lab hours. Students were also required to spend two weekends
in East St. Louis.
On the weekends, we would visit various sites where computer labs were in
place. Sites included several Christian churches, the communit y public library,
and a couple of buildings that were being renovated and purposed as computer
labs. We installed a num ber of computers at each site. The o ther computers that
did not make it to East St. Louis were taken to São Tomé and Príncipe.
5
U. S. Ce n s u s B ur ea u . “A mer ica n Fa ct Fi nd er.” Acce s sed 2 2 No v e mb er 2 0 1 0 .
ht tp : // fac t fi nd er .ce n s u s. go v / ho me/ s a f f/ ma i n. h t m l? _ la n g=e n .
6
Mar y Ed ward s a nd La ur a La wso n , “T h e E vo l u ti o n o f P la n ni n g i n Ea st S t. Lo u is, ” Jo u rn a l o f
Pla n n in g Hi s to r y 4 , no . 4 ( 2 0 0 5 ) , 3 5 8 -6 0 .
7
Ib id , Ed ward s, 3 7 4 -7 8 .
4
São Tomé and Príncipe: another underdeveloped African country
Two islands make up the archipelago called the Democratic R epublic of São Tomé
and Príncipe. The islands are located off the west coast of the African continent
in the Gulf of Guinea. São Tomé and Príncipe was a former Portuguese colony.
The Portuguese claimed it in the late 1400s, but its modern economic and social
composition is owed to a sugar based econom y that gave way to production of
coffee and cocoa in the mid -1800s. 8 São Tomé and Príncipe achieved
independence from the Portuguese, peacefull y, in 1975. Democracy was instituted
in the late 1980s, and i n 1991 the fi rst elections for government were held. 9
São Tomé and Príncipe is west of Gabon and south of Nigeria. Many of the
inhabitants are descendants of th e slave trade system, like the inhabitants of
Angola, Cape Verde, and Mozambique, all of whic h are former Portuguese
speaking colonies.
About half of the land in São Tomé and Príncipe is used for planting; the
other half is industrialized and makes up the urban sector. São Tomé and Príncipe
have very little natural resources, besides fish, coco a, and hydropower, there is no
other commodit y.
The population of São Tomé and Príncipe collectivel y is estimated to be
212,500. The dominant language is Portuguese, but many people are bi lingual and
trilingual with French, Spanish and other indigenous African languages. A
particular feature of São Tomé and Príncipe is its prevalence of youth culture.
Nearl y half of the population is under the age of 15 years:
Table 1: Age Structure
Age:
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:
46.9% (male 50,475/fema le 49,188)
49.7% (male 51,325/female 54,289)
3.5% (male 3,335/female 4,067) (2009 est.)
World Factbook 10
The country has a fair balance of social and economic participation between mal es
and females. More than 60% of the people of São Tomé and Príncipe live in urban
zones, the rest live in rural communities surrounding the cities. A road system
connects the cities, but is in dire need of repair. The roads within the cities are all
well maintained, and the homes are in good condition, although shant ytowns are
present within the cities of São Tomé city (the main cit y on island) and others.
There is also a high mobilit y with usage of cars and motorbikes.
Infant mortalit y rates are part icularl y low, and the life expectancy is 67
years for men and 70 years for women . The country is not impacted with natural
disasters, with exception to minor floods that occur during the winter seasons
when there are heavy rains .
Education on the islands is required for youth. General schooling
(preschool, elementary school and secondary schooling up to the tenth grade) is
required for all citizens. Any schooling after the aforementioned requirements
8
Ce n tra l I n tel li g e nce Ag en c y, “T he W o r ld F ac tb o o k 2 0 0 9 , ”
ht tp s: // www. c ia. go v /l ib r ar y/p ub l ic at io ns /t h e - wo r ld - fac tb o o k/ i nd e x. h t ml .
9
Ib id . C e ntra l I n tel li g e n ce Ag e nc y.
10
Ib id . C e ntra l I n tel li g e n ce Ag e nc y.
5
(adult schooling, universit y, college, etc.) is at th e expense of the individual. 11
CIA reports read that most people on the islands are literate. 12 I am not aware of
any data from São Tomé and Príncipe that touches on literacy demographics of the
country, either UNESCO or other.
Project in São Tomé and Prí ncipe: 20 July – 18 August 2009
Two GS LIS facult y members were introduced to São Tomé and Príncipe by way of
a former São Toméan student who attended the Universit y of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in the 1990s. Upon the two facult y members ‟ first visit to São Tomé
and Príncipe in 2004, they became acquainted with local influential people, like
government officials, teachers, and librarians to continue project development on
the islands. Prior to the summer 2009 visit to São Tomé and Príncipe, the two
facult y members headed a number of projects over the course of five years –
installing computers labs, educating São Toméans on technology, and researching
the sustainabilit y of technologies ( from the equipment brought to São Tomé by the
facult y and the US Navy, following the requests of the facult y ) in the São Tomé
environment.
The use of telephones, mobile phones, and computers are prevalent in São
Tomé and Príncipe. T he country currently has a n international telephone network
characterized by an underground cable system called INTELSAT, formed as the
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization. 13 Computer usage and
the Internet are present in São Tomé and Príncipe, but they do not have widespread
usage, mainl y because they are not sustainable in many places on island, but the
places in which computers are „sustainable‟ are on Portuguese owned resorts and
in other pri vileged neighborhoods. T he Internet provider is CST, a division of the
Portugal Telecom Company. CST provide s Internet access t o users through Wi -Fi
wireless connection, and also provides landline connections.
It is estimated that 20,000 São Toméans are Internet users and that those
users are mostl y part of the privileged class and youth population. There are some
Internet cafes located around the cities, but even these have limited Internet access
given that they are integrated within the lower class neighborhoods . Schools, like
the Pol ytechnic Institute, and some of the secondary school have computer labs.
The São Tom é and Príncipe National Library has computer labs, but they are not
often open to the general public. “Step UP”, a school started by an ex -Peace
Corps member, has a computer lab also. These labs, however, with the exception
of the Internet cafés, were in the mo st part closed to the public.
Preparation: February – July 2009
When I was approached by the two faculty members in earl y February 2009 about
the initiative in São Tomé and Príncipe, no concrete project plans were in place to
purpose the summer 2 009 trip, but I got the sense that maintaining a connection
with people in the country was the purpose. Ideas on what to do in São Tomé and
Príncipe were difficult to grasp as neither of the new recruits, myself and two
11
B ab acar F al l, “I CT i n E d uc at io n i n São T o mé a nd P rí n cip e,” S u rv ey o f IC T a n d Ed u ca t io n in
Afr ica (Vo lu me 2 ) ( J u n e 2 0 0 7 ) : 4 .
12
Ib id , Ce n tra l I nt el li g e n c y Ag e n c y, fr o m h t tp s :/ / ww w. c ia. go v /l ib rar y/ p u b lic at io ns /t h e - wo r ld fa ctb o o k / fi eld s/2 1 0 3 . ht ml .
13
Ib id , B ab acar , 4 .
6
other students, had ever been to th e country or knew anything about it . The onl y
thing we knew about the entire trip was that we would bring more computers to the
island to replace or fill empt y places in the computer labs that were set up in
previous years. The computers were not „new‟; they were refurbished, big, „ugl y‟,
loud, and heavy. The reason these computers were brought over was because they
were cheap to repair, and „durable‟ . In addition, the idea was that custom officials
in airports would be less inclined to steal these comp uters.
In the coming months our ideas for implementation would focus largel y on
Digital Storytelling, which would ensure the use of the computers we were
bringing to the island and communit y participation. In addition, I was given the
particular research task that involved assessing the sustainability of technology in
São Tomé and Príncipe.
February 2009
We began “preparing” for our trip. All of the work for preparation would be
additional to our normal routines with school, work, and recreation. One of the
facult y members wanted to come up with a technology -based program that would
engage the community in São Tomé and Príncipe and also one that would be
sustained after our return to the US. Our first task was to gather resources relating
to studies of technology usage in São Tomé and Príncipe, but readings in the
English language relating to the country were few. We instead attempted to
compile general information on São Tom é and Príncipe, and this proved difficult
also.
In addition to other respons ibilities we were required to attend weekl y
sessions of a team development workshop sponsored by the universit y‟s career
center. The sessions involved tips on development of leadership, opening avenues
to maintain and sustain communication between team me mbers, and provided a
space for people to practice group consultation.
March and April 2009
I was recruited by one of the facult y members, to assist in a research project of
assessing the sustainabilit y of technology in São Tomé and Príncipe. Since the
universit y had many computers on São Tomé island, the objective was to gather
resources that would help to explain the problem of sustainabilit y on São Tomé
and Príncipe. As aforementioned finding reading materials in the English
language was a major pr oblem. In addition, I had not been to S ão Tomé and
Príncipe, and had no idea what the conditions were going to be like. T here was no
map data on the island at the time to help pinpoint the environmental conditions
the computers were set in. Along with t his research responsibilit y, I would still be
working 24 hours a week at the library, attending class, and living a busy graduate
student life; even preparing for the project was becoming too much and left me
exhausted even before getting to São Tomé and P ríncipe. In late April, we began
to make logistical preparations for the trip by getting our vaccinations and medical
prescriptions, passports, and visas.
May and June 2009
7
We were unable to gather much of the information on São Tomé and Príncipe
necessary to learn about what we would be confronted with in the country . Our
plan was to go to São Tomé and Príncipe blind, putting forth the digital
storytelling idea with no other concrete plans. Digital storytelling would provide
the structure for an effe ctive program of implementation. The idea of “digital
storytelling” evolves from modernist thought that “new technologies and the
Internet are used to deal with social iniquities.” 14 Digital storytelling is a
communit y based participatory rese arch paradigm that would help individual s tell
and then broadcast their stories with the use of digital cameras, computers, and the
Internet. Our goal from then on was to find a model of computers and cameras
that we could use on the islands.
Later in the month of June we decided on the MS I Wind, a mini net book
computer, and a Canon digital camera as models to use for digital storytelling. We
bought three MS I Winds and six Canon digital cameras.
At this point we had no group in São Tomé and Príncipe mind that would
participate in the digital story telling initiative.
July 1-17, 2009
Class was still in session at the University of Illinois , I was practicing m y
Portuguese, the entire team was becoming familiar with the MSI Winds and the
digital cameras, and we we re still trying to gather resources, work our jobs, and
live normall y.
We received a letter from the airline that we would be taking from Lisbon,
Portugal to São Tomé and Príncipe telling us that we would be limited to how
much we could bring to the isla nds. In addition to the MS I Winds, the digital
cameras, and some technical guidebooks, we were bringing two computers that we
refurbished in class with us. Because of the aforementioned each of us would onl y
be able to bring 13 pounds of clothing and hyg iene stuffs. 13 pounds is close to
nothing for an international trip, and an international trip that will be a month in
length at that! I was going to be even less prepared for the trip now that I could
not bring things that would comfort me, or help me to do m y work, like m y
computer, etc.
By the time we were on the plane heading to London, which was a transit
stop from Chicago to São Tomé and Príncipe, I think everyone was frustrated with
a relativel y disorganized preparation program for this trip.
In São Tomé and Príncipe: The things that did not happen
We left Chicago on Jul y 17, 2009 and landed in São Tomé and Príncipe on Jul y 20,
2009. Most of our plans fell through just after two days of being on the island.
By consensus among the four impl ementers – 3 students and one facult y member –
the digital storytelling idea was abandoned , even though in my opinion it would
have worked relatively well on the island s, but opportunities to gather a group of
local people that would participate with this project did not arise. Consensus led
the team in another direction to try a different program called Photovoice.
“Photovoice is an innovative participatory action research (PAR) method based on
health promotion principles and the theoretical literature o n education for critical
14
Ib id , Al i ne G ub r i u m, 1 8 7 .
8
consciousness, feminist theory, and nontraditional approaches to documentary
photography.” 15
Methodologicall y Photovoice is very similar to digit al storytelling, but the
two programs are different in their approaches. Photovoice is more political in
nature. It attempts to get people to assess their political constraints and not
organize their lives, or their personal story (day to day occurrences) like digital
storytelling does. I was in favor of digital storytelling. I did not participate in the
implementation of Photovoice, because my thought was to find out about São
Tomé and Príncipe through individual peoples‟ lives, and not through a focus of
the assessment of the São Tomé and Príncipe democratic structure. I thought
using Photovoice was heading to a wrong turn and I believed that it went against
what we had initiall y planned in the preparation phase of this trip.
A huge part of the difficulties mentioned were attributed to the São Tomé
and Príncipe tropical environment, and the lifest yles of the São Toméans. Power
generators were useful in São Tomé, but our work and living quarters lacked one.
Power outages were a frequent phenomenon, usuall y occurring every other day and
for 3-8 hours at a time, sometimes for more than 8 hours. These power ou tages
made it difficult to plan for work, because w e never knew at what time of day they
would occur.
Also, the São Toméan people are very easy going. Usuall y the work day
starts at 800 or 900 hours for most businesses, a lunch break occurs from 1200 to
1500 hours for the entire island (everything is closed), and work resumes from
1500 to 1600 hours (everything closes again). Even still, this schedule is not
abided by all São Toméans. Making appoi ntments to meet with people was
difficult and often just hit or miss opportunities.
As initial plans fell apart a stock pile of other problems continued to build.
The MS I Winds were incapable of working properl y on the island, as were the
other computers. The computers were too slow, outdated, and virus vulnerable.
After onl y one week we had to completely shift our focus to other initiatives.
Teaching at “STeP UP”
On Jul y 25, 2009, the team of students and one facult y member met with a São
Toméan teacher of computer technologies at STeP UP” (São Tomé e Príncipe
Union for Promotion ) Technical School. He requested that we initiate a class to
teach “networking” and the components thereof to teachers at Step Up. Firstl y, we
discussed the process of teaching here in São Tomé, and the curriculum material
he thought would be useful for the teachers to know. These teachers would take
the information that we provided in our training and share them with their
students; essentiall y it would be teachers teaching teachers.
The teacher proceeded to outline the basic information that he felt strongl y
would need to be shared with the class – how to set up a client to the server,
network maintenance, networking between two computers, and hosting and making
a website. After meeting with the teacher we discussed the curriculum – one that
would be coherent for students in São Tomé , setting a schedule that would span
three weeks, specifying materia ls needed to be taught, and appointing who would
teach each session.
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Ca ro li n e C. W a n g, “ P h o to vo ic e: A P ar tic ip a to r y Ac tio n Re s earc h S trat e g y Ap p lied to
W o me n ‟s He al t h,” Jo u rn a l o f Wo men ’ s H ea l th 8 (No ve mb e r 1 9 9 9 ): 1 8 5 .
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The teacher mentioned to us that all the teachers we would interact with
spoke English, but to keep in mind that it is a newer language, therefore the
simplification of the language in our te aching was needed. The STeP UP students
was very knowledgeable on computer hardware and many Micr osoft applications.
The students were also capable of using Windows XP (all its versions) and
Windows Vista operating systems.
Preparation for the teaching a class at STeP UP was intense and teaching the
class was challenging . The teacher wanted us to start teaching the class within a
few days. The rubric for the class was as follows (in this precise order) across
eight topics, and each session being 2 hours: What are the general parts of a
network, the network scale, t ypology, relationship between comp uters, protocol,
setting up a network, building a cable, troubleshooting a network, constructing
LAN, and specifying use of TCP/IP, trace route, and NAT. We also introduced the
class to Linux operating systems.
Two days before the first session of teach ing, on Jul y 28, 2009 we sat in on
one of the classes for observational purposes. The class seemed prepared for their
first lesson on networking. There were five teachers present at the first session.
At the start it was difficult for the teachers to full y understand all of the
information given. The teacher suggested that we allow the students to read the
points before discussing their meanings. This helped the students underst and the
material exponentially, and also the teachers got accustomed to a st yle of teaching
in the English language.
The initiative at STeP UP was the most positive project that took place that
involved the team on the island. We had more time to mingle with students and
teachers of São Tomé descent. The students learned the ma terials well, not sure in
what cases they will use networking skills in their environment, but the classes
went very well.
Assessing Sustainability of Technology in São Tomé and Príncipe
I, along with one of the facult y members , visited different sites in São Tomé and
Príncipe that were equipped with refurbished computers that were brought over to
the island by the facult y members over the course of five years. We conducted
interviews to find out about the computers‟ performance, durabilit y, and
maintenance. We visited six cities on the main island of São Tomé: Nevis,
Guadalupe, São Tomé cit y, Santana, Trinidade, and Angolares.
Most of the computers at each site had hardware problems, were not up -todate or were simpl y not functioning due to difficulti es related to the São Tomé
environment and weather conditions. Other reasons for computer failure included:
the lack of efficient internet speed to allow updates on the computer, lack of
internet, viruses, and other problems associated with the maintenanc e of computer
technologies.
In the past few years there have been many initiatives in São Tomé and
Príncipe that would allow people to take advantage of gaining technical skills,
particularl y with computers. These places are usuall y at local libraries, s chools of
all levels, or at homes. More people are becoming aware of computers, what they
can be used for, and what is needed to maintain them.
There is still slow progress on getting faster Internet to São Tomé and
Príncipe. CST, the Internet provide rs on the island s, has current plans in place
that can move São Tomé from a simple DSL provider to a broadband provider.
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São Tomé and Príncipe lack programs that can facilitate proper computer
technology training among the São Tomé people. Also, the lack of faster internet
speeds makes it difficult to maintain updates on computers, and ensure both virus
protection and internet securit y.
Conclusion
The projects sponsored by GSLIS following the endeavors of Communit y
Informatics continue in East St. Louis, but those in São Tomé and Príncipe have
been halted since the summer of 2009. In m y opinion, the summer of 2009
endeavors in São Tomé and Príncipe reflected a disaster. The preparation for the
trip was not adequate, the plans made in the preparation pha se were not acted
upon, and after returning to the University of Illinois there was no reflection
meeting to discuss how to improve future projects.
We returned to the United States on 18 August. I and the other students and
facult y were exhausted from an intensive summer. There was no time allotted for
rest however, because the following week the fall semest er classes would begin.
Working in East St. Louis; fl ying to another country for a month; attempting to
work with a different culture and grow accus tomed to another language; and then
trying to readjust to life back home in the States can leave one exhausted. In
addition, most of our ideas and planning in months prior to the project
implementations in East St. Louis and São Tomé and Príncipe fell apart or became
ineffective. We could have done better work and been more effective in both
places.
The most cumbersome thought was a much needed reflection meeting to
discuss what happened in East St. Louis or São Tomé and Príncipe did not occur
until the end of the fall semester in 2009. It seemed as though some of the
participants wanted to dodge the failures, and this was wrong.
In any case, the participants did not fulfill their roles in either communit y as
library professionals. Firstl y, according to the principles of Communit y
Informatics, the concerns of the community should come before the concerns of
the library professional working in these communities. In both East St. Louis, and
São Tomé and Príncipe the people of these communities asked us to do certain
things. The things they ask ed of us may not have been in their best interest, or
may not be possible, or would not re ap benefits to the communit y. However, as
library professionals we should first ask the communit y what they want and need;
share with the communit y what we are capable of doing while staying mindful of
law, cultural values, education, and other principles of social responsibilit y; create
a plan; and finall y, follow through with the plan. Even if the plan failed miserabl y
both the members of the communities and ourselves would be able to learn
something from it. In São Tomé and Príncipe, the team members did not detach
themselves from their concerns, interests, and intentions in order to pay more
attention to the communit y ne eds of the São Tomé people.
East St. Louis and São Tomé and Príncipe are dif ferent communities. The
people in both communities share the same skin color, and often times the same
economic lifest yle, but East St. Louis is still within the United States, an d São
Tomé and Príncipe is still an African country. East St. Louis falls under American
law and lifest yle, and São Tomé and Príncipe have their own laws and lifest yles
that are simpl y different. The team attempted to present similar projects in both
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places based on false and invalid assumptions. Even if the work in East St. Louis
showed promise in the communit y‟s development, the same could not happen in
São Tomé and Príncipe.
It is possible to make projects work in East St. Louis and São Tomé and
Príncipe, but onl y with a team of individuals who are open and mindful of one
another and as well as of the communities at hand. I do not think project efforts
sponsored by GS LIS and Communit y Informatics should continue in São Tomé and
Príncipe. Part of the reasons the project failed was due to the lack of togetherness
within the team that went to São Tomé and Príncipe. In the United States there are
still social and educational inequities, racial dif ferences, and gender inequalities
that leave most of the c ommunities and individuals in strife with one another. Our
team reflected this phenomenon. As a nation we can do better, as librarians we
can do better, and as individuals we can do better with one another.
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