Two decades ago, new developments in the West Europe and North America, were so remote from us that the mere thought of such things happening in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) looks like living in ‘fools’ paradise’. Not any more. Despite the high levels of poverty, which development statistics will not fail to quickly throw up, globalization and its accompanying technologies that are more suitable for resource constrained environments, change everything.
The ‘digital age’ is upon us and so are things that can be digitized including books. Already, Ipads, Kindle and the likes with e-reader applications are becoming common features in hotel lobbies and airport waiting areas in the continent.
However, the infrastructure necessary for instituting an e-reading culture on a large scale is still very weak. Lack of reliable power supply; cost of acquiring and maintaining computers and related gadgets; distribution via the internet and other means; storage and retrieval; and payment mechanism that rely on credit or debit cards are some of the challenges. Moreover, several types of books such as reference materials, illustrations, manuals and other collectors items do not translate well into digital medium.
Notwithstanding, for many new writers who are finding it difficult to emerge from traditional publishing the promise of digital publishing is very attractive. Trade with China, which has demystified an array of useful technologies is bringing information and communication technologies (ICT), complete with solar panels within the reach of ordinary people in Africa.
In addition, mobile phone network operators in Africa have already brought mobile money transfer facilities, such as M-Pesa that could offer alternative payment methods for e-books.
The BBC Focus on Africa magazine in its July September 2011 issue reported a pilot project in three schools in rural Ghana that is generating a lot of excitement among pupils, their teachers and parents. Aimed at convincing “governments in Ghana and other developing countries that there is a technology hop to be exploited which could swiftly improve literacy and revolutionise education” the project further reinforces the trend in Africa where technology is giving many areas: politics, business, social interaction and now reading and teaching a boost.
And certainly, there is so much ‘positive optimism’ a double whammy confidence on what is achievable as many people here cannot imagine that there were times in the past when they lived without mobile telephones. Watch this space.
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