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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hi everyone,</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This probably comes WAY too late, but
better late than never. This was my first Wikimania, definitely and
hopefully not my last. I enjoyed the sessions and meeting everyone
although I had to leave on the morning of the last day. I would also
like to add my thanks to the organizing team and Bibliotheca
Alexandrina staff for the efforts put into this.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I tried to quickly read all of the
post-conference mailing list discussion on the good and the bad of
the conference, opinions on Alexandrina, Egypt, personal experiences
and all that's related, and would just like to add my personal view
to what I feel is a healthy and constructive discussion in which I
was glad to see a diversity of opinion, openness in sharing personal
views and experiences as well as a reasoned analysis on how this
Wikimania relates to previous and future Wikimanias. Again, I am
dropping in rather late into this discussion and I do believe that
most of whatever I would have liked to add or share has already been
said, and which I am in agreement with, so the need to reiterate many
of the points discussed wanes, as what I might think of as personal
opinion might read as perennial paraphrase.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That said, the impulse to share with
you my personal take on some specific points remains, so you will
have to forgive me :). In the interest of being as brief as possible,
I will resist the temptation of writing a drawn-out essay on
everything I would like to address with a "personal take" (I tend
to do that sometimes:)).
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The issues in question are those
related to the views shared by some here about their experiences in
Egypt. By "experiences in Egypt" I am discounting judgments on
the organization of the conference, as I already saw that such
issues (of the organizational efficiency of the conference, that is)
were duly addressed by many contributers, and will continue to be
addressed during the lead-up to the 2010. What I am going to address-
or rather comment on – is the issue of "openness". Yes, it is
wildly general term but it is also one that you are all very familiar
with: open media, open culture, open access are all topics discussed
at this and previous wikimanias, and which form a discourse that will
continue to be addressed in future wikimanias and other conferences.
Most important to the context of this discussion, these are issues
that you all have an interest in by the mere virtue of being
wikipedians.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Caveat lector: Similar to all
experiences and opinions expressed here, my own commentary on these
issues is naturally and unavoidably influenced by my own personal
experiences, views and background, and this is starting to read like
it is going to be a drawn-out treatise as opposed to "brief
personal take", so grab some coffee.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">(Just kidding)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I as I started catching up on reading
the mailing list messages, I came across what Majorly wrote on his
experience in Egypt. I was not surprised at the "only negative"
experience described, as I am aware of where it comes from, I
acknowledge many of the unfortunate situations that conspired to
construct such a negative experience (which definitely saddens me as
a native of Egypt), and surely understand that the extent to which
we can step outside our personal "comfort zones" - formed by our
own cultures, communities and environments – is liable to a very
wide spectrum of variation. However, what I have difficulty coming to
terms with - and I do believe some would concur given the majority of
opinions expressed here- is how some would be so absolutist in their
conclusions in such a way to express things with such finality (to
which they are entitled to in every way of course, but that is not
the point). For example, Majorly has made up his mind that he "never
want[s] to go to Egypt again, nor the next Wikimania", he adds that
"there is no way I'd consider going to Buenos Aires". Wow.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Now, before the point I am attempting
to get across gets misinterpreted, let me get this out of the way:
It's a free world! (well, some of it, at least). Where Majorly –
and others – decide to go or not go is entirely their own business.
Nevertheless, since we (by "we" I mean people who have at least a
somewhat expanded understanding of the general notion of "openness",
and given the context of our general collective interests being in
the realm of freedom of knowledge, information and expression) are
sharing experiences and views, and then expressing opinions on such
experiences and views, I feel compelled to share how I feel about
such a sentiment.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have been fortunate enough to do a
fair share of continent-hopping over the course of the past few
years, and I am glad I was able to see a pretty good chunk of the
world at a relatively young age. I am not going to wax lyrical on the
merits and virtues of travel, as chances are that many or most of you
are already avid travelers. What I would like to emphasize, however,
is the one thing that fascinates me most about going somewhere new:
the different. I say the "different" minus any value judgment
which we inevitably, oftentimes validly and sometimes inaccurately
make consciously or unconscionably on what is, or what initially
appears to be, alien to us, because I do think that the different –
be it positive or negative - holds intrinsic value insofar as it can
add to (or change) us as individuals, and the subsequent aggregate –
and hopefully positive - effect on our understanding of others.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What you make of this value is up to
you, but to me it is often a form of incremental personal
enlightenment, on a very small level, that must be valued and
embraced, rather than shunned and avoided. We, as wikipedians and
self-proclaimed "advocates of openness", took up a slightly
larger share of an oft-discussed but frequently practically abandoned
global responsibility to value and promote diversity, cultural
awareness and sensitivity, and receptivity to the new and different
even if it means that we have to forsake – for even the shortest of
times – our respective comfort zones. What I took the liberty to
very generically term as "openness" here has multiple, varied but
still connected and related definitions. To me, it can border on the
hypocritical to claim that I am an advocate of open knowledge if I am
myself not open or receptive to a different culture that might
starkly contrast to my own.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Those of you in the "First world"
are living where innovation, access and decent standards of living
are already existent, and most politicians are already doing a pretty
good job of messing up the world, so what openness do you speak of
if cultural bridges are not built at the grassroots level? Why would
we let our personal biases, ethnocentrism and fears of the different
or uncomfortable cloud our visions of amazing opportunities for the
promotion of potential platforms of global understanding? You can
edit and read wikipedia all you like, you can be an open knowledge
activist, or an arm chair promoter of openness, but if you shy away
from going out and bumping your head against another
culture/people/environment, dealing with, absorbing and learning from
whatever is different in the process, then you should ask yourself if
whatever you are doing is really meaningful. It is very simple
really, you either go or you don't, but you will never really know
unless you go. The way I see it, talk all you like about promotion of
openness, freedom and access in conferences in the "First World",
but if you're serious about it, go where it really matters now, go to
the South/Third World/developing world...whatever you would like to
call it. If you feel that uncomfortable with it, that is
understandable and you should stay home or go somewhere similar to
home, just don't call yourself and advocate of openness. To you, it
is probably just it's just a hobby :), which is still fine by me.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chaos, unpredictability, poor hygiene
are constants when you travel in developing countries. Dishonest
people, dangerous areas and general travel-related risks are
constants anywhere you travel. Degrees of these hazards vary, but if
you can't deal with it, stay home. It is that simple. It is just
unfortunate, though, that you are going to miss quiet a lot in what
little time you've got on this Earth.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I said I tend to write more than I
originally intended to and I did just that, but I also did forewarn
:), and apologies if I digressed or lacked clarity, but I do hope I
was able to get my thoughts across. <br></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br></p>Cheers,<br><br>Hani Morsi<br>
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