BarCamp Swaziland: An Ad-Hoc Technology Unconference In Swaziland, Southern Africa
In June I had the good fortune to take part in the first technology unconference in Swaziland, Africa: BarCamp Swaziland. Organized by YouthAssets, an international organization that uses mobile technology to empower youth head-of-households, BarCamp Swaziland provided local tech practitioners and tech enthusiasts with an opportunity to meet one another, share ideas, and create connections possibly leading to future partnerships and collaboration.
What Is A BarCamp?
As noted on the official barcamp website, a barcamp is “an ad-hoc unconference born from the desire of people to share and learn in a casual, open environment. It is an interactive events with discussion, panels, talks, and demos from attendees.” One of the best things about a barcamp which sets it apart from traditional conferences is that in a barcamp participants are also the leaders of the event.
BarCamp Swaziland
Keeping in mind the participatory nature of the barcamp model, it was especially satisfying to see how YouthAssets’ team of youth advisers worked together to take part in the event. Together with my good friend, Shara Karasic, we produced videos to document the highlights of the event. In addition, we introduced YouthAssets’ team of youth advisors to video as a means to capture stories of one another and of BarCamp participants. Above is one of my favorite photos, Msimisi of YouthAssets in action.
About YouthAssets
I’ve been working with YouthAssets over the course of the last year on various web and media projects, so it was a great opportunity to see the amazing work of this organization in action first-hand. For more info, visit YouthAssets.
For info on barcamps, check out these resources as well: What Is A Barcamp?, What To Expect At A Barcamp, and How To Start Your Own Barcamp.
