The role of online information systems in non‐government organisations — MISANET
| Date | 01 April 1995 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045374 |
| Pages | 279-282 |
| Published date | 01 April 1995 |
| Author | Sean Badal |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
The role of online information
systems in non-government
organisations
—
MISANET
Sean Badal
IC
Analyst,
Standard Bank
of
South
Africa,
PO Box
17163,
Hillbrow,
2038 South Africa
Abstract: I know that the Information Superhighway is overtyped and over
here, but I would be keen to look at the role that information
technology,
and
specifically online systems, are playing in allowing a wide variety of
organisations, both in South Africa and regionally, to communicate effectively
with each other and thereby bypassing the traditional (and very often
constrictive) media that previously controlled the dissemination of information.
It seems that non-government organisations
(NGOs),
despite their budgetary
constraints, are ahead of other organisations in implementing effective and
imaginative information technology solutions to their communication problems.
Organisations like
Planact,
Sangonet and so on have managed to set up effective
e-mail
and database systems that allow them to keep in touch with
their
members.
MISANET is an interesting case study. It is an ambitious plan to network all the
independent newspapers and media organisations
in
Southern Africa. The project
is
being run under the auspices of MISA —
the
Media Institute of Southern
Africa, an NGO that acts as a watchdog for press freedom in Africa.
The aim
of
the project was initially to provide a means of digital exchange for photographic
images but it has mushroomed into a fully-fledged electronic information
exchange system with a
wide
gamut of services — from
e-mail
to databases.
MISANET plans to make use of the existing networks that are in place
in
some of
the
countries in the area as well as set up new
ones,
to create a blanket computer
network system that will allow newspapers to be online constantly
to
each
other.
The service will initially rely on existing Internet connections like
Uninet,
the
Internet provider in universities in South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia,
Zimbabwe, Botswana and
Swaziland.
The
resources of a number of local NGOs
will
also
be pooled to provide greater
connectivity.
These include MANGO in
Harare, Zangonet in Zambia and Worknet
in
South Africa.
1.
Introduction
Recently, the kingdom of Lesotho ex-
perienced yet another coup attempt —
a small footnote in the history of the
discord that has happened, and still is
happening, in Africa. An even smaller
incident that occurred during that
event was narrated to me recently by
Bruce Cohen, who is a director of the
Weekly Mail and Guardian newspaper
in Johannesburg (and also one of the
powers behind the MISANET pro-
ject).
A journalist had been wounded
during the coup attempt and due to a
lack of medical skills, his leg was
about to be amputated. Another jour-
nalist was alerted to the incident and
promptly posted messages onto the
Net. Within half an hour, enough
money was raised to airlift him to Jo-
hannesburg. Now, I know this sounds
like yet another clichéd urban legend
that computer people love relating, but
it clearly illustrates (in its small way)
the potent power of the Net. Recent
history is littered with incidents like
this — witness the events in the China
uprising,
as
well
as the
turmoil
in
Mos-
cow. Although traditional sources of
information flow were effectively cut
off, the Internet played a major
role
in
the dissemination of information — a
role which was recognised by the re-
spective governments and by the peo-
ple who used the systems. The
message
was:
you can't plug
the
Net.
In a continent where most basic
amenities are largely a rare luxury, I
don't need to mention the fact that
computers are an even more exotic
commodity. There is however a
groundswell of understanding that
computers are going to play a major
role in whatever changes are taking
place on the continent, and I'm sure
that most of you will applaud those
changes.
2.
African press background
Over the years, the concept of an inde-
pendent press in Africa has been sys-
tematically eroded, the end result
being that there are very few truly in-
dependent newspapers on the conti-
nent — and often, those that are there
operate under the constant threat of
closure and physical danger. There is
however a feisty little organisation
which regularly attempts to expose the
conditions under which journalists and
other media personnel work and live.
MISA (Media Institute of Southern
Africa) has regularly (if somewhat er-
ratically) published its newsletter
which highlights the plight of the me-
dia in Africa, and it very often makes
shocking reading. Journalists, it
seems, are exposed to a litany of
abuses, very little of which you actu-
ally read about in the mainstream
press.
Through a number of resources
both locally and internationally, it
The Electronic Library, Vol. 13, No. 4, August 1995 279
To continue reading
Request your trial