Icommons.org

On 25 November, Translate.org.za won the prestigious African ICT Achiever Award for bridging the digital divide in Africa. Translate.org.za is a South African NGO dedicated to breaking down the language barriers present in the field of ICT.

An ecstatic Dwayne Bailey, founder of Translate.org.za said, ‘Finally, after years of hard work promoting the importance of mother tongue languages in ICTs it is fitting that language has been recognised as a critical part of the digital divide in the same year the African Union celebrates the year of African languages.’

Translate.org.za’s work has included the translation of computer software into the 11 official languages of South Africa by local translators; and more recently the creation of the first South African language keyboard ‘ a world first.

‘This is the first Africans-helping-Africans, no strings attached free software. It has always been my dream that (more…)

Bring together student journalists, media studies lecturers, editors of major South African magazines and online newspapers. Add their collective, yet varied experiences from practicing in the field of media. Mix in a touch of good advice and helpful hints. Stir in a pinch of passion for the profession. Attach a Creative Commons (CC) license ‘ and viola - you have Jo’s Toolkit, a recently launched website which provides resources and tools for journalism students and grassroots/media practitioners in the fields of writing, editing, design, photography, television, radio and new media.

‘Jo’s Toolkit came about in the hope of educating other journalists. We have access to lecturers, students and professionals with a wealth of experience and media knowledge and we wanted to pool these resources and make them available to others,’ says Jo’s Toolkit founders and editors, Rhodes University journalism students Carly Ritz and Gregor Rohrig.

And access these resources, they certainly did. The site hosts articles from South African Mail and Guardian Online editor Matthew Buckland, Student Life managing editor, James Simpson and (more…)

Brazil may be named ‘the heart of the free culture movement’, but in November it will also be the place to be if you’re interested in how mobile technology is changing the way we communicate and relate to each other; it’ll be hosting an event to phone home about, quite literally.

The country, which is inhabited by 185.1 million people, has a mobile density of 44.5%, which also makes it the fifth largest mobile market in the world, after China, the USA, Japan and Russia.

It is appropriate then that that the International Festival of Mobile Art and Creativity will be hosted in Sao Paulo later this year. Mobilefest, as it is better known, (more…)

Inspired by the SXSW Big Bag Competition, iCommons and Creative Commons announces a competition to design this year’s iCommons Summit bag. With the theme of this year’s event: ‘Towards a Global Digital Information Commons’ and workshops on open creativity, knowledge, science and innovation, we’re looking for designs that are creative, visually arresting and informative. The winner will receive a scholarship to attend the June iCommons Summit, so get your friends and communities involved and they could be attending this amazing event in Rio de Janeiro. Read the contest rules and submission details here.

UPDATE: Spread the word about the Summit Bag Competition to your creative friends, CC-creators and artists in your community! Print out copies of these flyers and hand them out, so we can get everyone designing!

Bag Awards Flyer JPEG

Bag Awards Flyer PDF