August 29, 2001
Welcome
to the WomensNet CyberCafe, a symbolic and historic space in many ways.It
is the first Internet Café organized and run by women at a UN WorldConference,
hosted by WomensNet, an African women´s organization focused on training
women in the use of new information technologies.
The CyberCafe is also a concrete example of one of the strategies being debated at WCAR for combating racism, sexism and xenophobia in media, to give access to and control over media and technologies in the hands of those who are subject to discrimination, rather than to regulate and censor the media content itself. In addition, the WomensNet CyberCafe is also the latest temporary home of the FIRE-PLACE, where Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE) is producing live daily Internet broadcasts in Spanish and English about WCAR.
Natasha Primo, a project manager with WomensNet, described how the Cyber Café is one of several projects that her South African women´s organization is doing to increase access to new communications technologies among women.She explained that they do training for women´s groups, and will offer training in the CyberCafe for all persons and especially women who are interested in learning to use the Internet. WomensNet also conducts training with community radio staff on using the Internet, as well as on bringing a gender perspective to their work to help ensure that “women´s interests and voices are reflected in radio content.”Natasha explained that WomensNet is linking new communication technologies with traditional media and particularly community radio “because in South Africa, radio is used especially by rural women.”She explained, “We certainly see the potential of new technology, but don´t want to put all our faith in it so that it doesn´t become a new form of elitism.We want to make technology accessible and have it used in a way that is progressive and that advances the cause of gender equality within South Africa.”She noted that WomensNet also trains community radio staff and other organizations on gender awareness and equality issues.
Discussions at WCAR have focused on how media and new communication technologies are being used by racist and other xenophobic groups to disseminate hate speech.But Margarita Antonio, a community radio communicator from Uraccan University on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua described in an interview on the FIRE-PLACE how the negotiations of the official WCAR document include a debate over language that calls for governments to regulate racist and xenophobic media content including hate speech on the Internet. Margarita noted that members of target groups of hate speech who spoke at a recent panel workshop oppose any government restrictions on media content because in the long run the same groups whom the government is claming to protect are the ones who are most often silenced with these restrictions.She argued that the struggle to overcome racism and break the silence is best accomplished by creating and strengthening alternative forms of media that are run by these marginalized groups themselves. The
need tobreak the silence
of those victimized by racism and xenophobia was also emphasized by speakers
at the opening ceremony of the NGO Forum of the WCAR yesterday, including
Mary Robinson, Secretary General of WCAR; South African President Mbeki,
and Marcia Andrews, President of SANGOCO. Likewise, Dalya Massachi of Project Change in the USA noted how her organization which focuses on ways to combat racism and break the silence of victims is attending the NGO Forum to learn about strategies and activities other similar organizations around the world and to build networks.
As it
has in almost every UN World Conference in the past 10 years, the FIRE-PLACE
broadcast live from WCAR in Spanish, English and Portuguese, bringing the
perspectives of women about the conference to a world audience.As
described above, on its first webcast produced in the WomensNet Cybercafe,
FIRE staff interviewed Natasha Primo of WomensNet about women´s access
to media and new communication technologies and the role of the Cybercafe.Margarita
Antonio of Uraccan, Nicaragua talked on the FIRE-PLACE about the debate
over government restrictions on racist media. Also
interviewed by FIRE were Brazilians Rosalia Lemus of Culture House and
Neusa das Dores Pereira, from the Women´s Lesbian Collective of the
Women´s Issues Project.They
said they were skeptical of UN Conferences because often governments such
as theirs will issue impressive statements and speeches at these forums,
but in reality at home are implementing policy that further marginalizes
and increases poverty among the same sectors of society that they claim
to defend in conferences such as this.But
the Brazilian women noted that they feel it is important to participate
in forums such as WCAR to make their demands be known to the international
community. Bemardine
Dixon of Uraccan, Nicaragua, also expressed her concern about the actual
impact of this conference on combatting racism.She
noted that the forum has enabled many minority groups and other victims
of racism to talk about their issues concerns but few concrete mechanisms
and practical proposals have been created to deal with those issues and
overcome racism. Lohana
Berkins of the Association for Transvestite and Transexual Identity in
Argentina issued a call on the FIRE-PLACE to promote the understanding
of sexual and gender identity as a choice that must be respected, contrary
to what is happening in her country where more than 100 transvestites and
transexuals have been killed by police because of their sexual orientation.She
also described how feminism has given her and her community a better understanding
of gender identity issues and helped improve their self esteem. For more information, write to FIRE at: femintra@hotmail.com or check the webpage at: http://www.fire.or.cr |
