[Foundation-l] Wikimedia Foundation 2008-2009 Annual Plan

[Chad]

On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 10:49 AM, Florence Devouard <Anthere9 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Chad wrote:
>> On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 9:31 AM, Dan Rosenthal <swatjester at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Except, Africa faces problems that extend far beyond simple language
>>> penetration: there is simply not enough internet and broadband coverage, not
>>> enough computer access and computer ownership, and in several countries the
>>> political climate inhibits any access to free information.
>>>
>>> If we're truly worried about peoples of Africa, we ought to be addressing
>>> those problems first, rather than setting up languages for them. We can't
>>> bring knowledge to Zimbabwe if Mugabe kills all of his opponents and their
>>> supporters, and controls the internet access. We can't bring knowledge to
>>> Somalia if there simply aren't enough telecom companies doing business there
>>> to achieve significant internet access. Such issues are far more pressing
>>> than languages.
>>>
>>> -Dan
>>>
>>
>> And you know...basic necessities like food and water.
>>
>> Call me naive, but I think those are more important than bringing
>> them a DVD with articles about everything from [[w:Walrus]] to
>> [[w:Fantasy (fragrance)]]
>>
>> -Chad
>
>
> Have you two guys already been to Africa ?
> You seem to have a rather "limited" view of a huge continent with
> incredible diversity of situations. Even within a country where some
> poeple are dying from hunger or diseases, there are scholars and
> educated people who can help get the ball rolling.
>
> Ant
>
>
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My statement reaches beyond Africa; I would prefer the local population
of my own city have food and water before Wikipedia.

If the WMF is going to jump on the "Save the African Children" bangwagon,
it would be nice if they'd actually send something useful.

-Chad