Training Workshop by FIRE:

Women Finding Their Own Way to the Web

November, 2003
María Suárez Toro, FIRE

Likewise, a maquila women´s rights activist and Salvadoran activist, Dina Salas of Centro de Orientaión Radial para Mujeres (Center for Training of Women in Radio) had experience with e-mail, as had a Nicaraguan rural community organizer, Maria   of the Asociación de Mujeres de Jalapa “OYANKA” (Indigenous word for new road), among others.

As part of the training workshop, these women designed and published their own pages. “I never thought I could do this myself,” said Marta, “it all seemed such a remote possibility that I even wondered if I should come to the workshop when I was invited. But now I feel I am becoming an (computer) engineer.” The grin on Marta’s face spoke to the fact that one of the hurdles many have had to face is the demystification of technological skills, expressed in an ongoing joke during the event, about participants now becoming “cyber-engineers.”

The newly created and uploaded web page of Kaqla opens a worldwide window to the organization´s work. Kaqla is a Mayan women´s non-profit organization that empowers women through the provision of spiritual and holistic health needs, using a combination of Mayan traditions and contemporary women´s practices.

Surrounded by a closed circle of 24 computers in the conference room of the Hotel Comfort Inn in Santa Ana, Honduran Nedelka Lacayo clutched the computer keyboard as her new “key” to the world wide web. “I even learned how to put my own voice in the page. Come and see...oops... come and hear, as you open the page, I welcome people to the site of my organization. It almost like magic!” exclaimed Nedelka.

Some women whose organizations already had web pages when they came to the workshop also learned to create them, not to substitute the web master companies hired by their organizations, but to know enough to be able to hold those companies more accountable. Coca Trillini of Catholics for Free Choice in Argentina was one of these women. “Now I know the extent of what can be done in the web. I can go back and become involved, not only in the content that we provide to the designer, but in the design and the “tricks” to make our site more accessible. I do not necessarily want to become an engineer, but I do want to know enough so that our organization can imprint our own personality on our web page.”

Others such as Guatemalan Laura Asturias, producer of a regional feminist electronic bulletin, La Tertulia, and co-producer the monthly women´s newspaper, La Cuerda, shared her extensive internet experience and skills at the worskhop. She trained other participants in making feminist electronic bulletins, as did Margarita Salas of Fundación Acceso (Access Foundation) in Costa Rica, who conducted a worskhop on the design of forums and discussions lists. Katerina Anfossi of FIRE and Jackie Siles of the International World Conservation Union (UICN) trained others in the use of chat rooms for activism. As the participants opened their first “AMLAT Women” chat session, the first online message someone typed said, “Is this a private meeting or can others come in?”

The issue of Internet policy was also discussed in the workshop, resulting in a final resolution developed and approved by the 25 participants. “We will get involved in following the proceedings and making our own input into the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) to ben convened by the United Nations this coming month in Geneva, Switzerland. Through the presence of FIRE and other women´s media organizations, we will also gather information about the meeting and make it accessible to women and people in our countries.” 

The women charged that mainstream media in the region and worldwide is not providing coverage of the WSIS event that will shape global policies about media and technology. “We will have to undertake the responsibility that they are evading” said Honduran Dina Meza of the Centro de Derechos de la Mujer, on behalf of the group.

The ownership structure and flow of global information and communications technologies was addressed by Katerina Anfossi of FIRE in a panel presentation at the workshop. “Today, the power of the media is concentrated in the hands of 10 companies who define who and what are socially and politically relevant, rendering invisible many sectors of the population, especially women.”

Katerina continued, “The human right of all people to communicate for themselves is a cornerstone of a democratic media. But the road to democratic communications faces many challenges: the concentration of media ownership in ever fewer national and international monopolies; the unidirectional flow of information from north to south; and the pre-established ideological content of media that are overwhelmingly sexist, violent and that alienate many. The rapid development of new communication technologies including access to the Internet, challenges us to ensure that these trends will not duplicate the fate of traditional broadcast and print media. Will these new technologies deprive us of the voices of the majority of the world’s inhabitants or will they instead benefit those who in the past were excluded? “

“FIRE among others, is addressing the digital divide, both because it is an international channel of communications based in the Global South, but also because it is in the hands of women.  Recent research has made it evident that although the world is ever more globalized, the development and use of new technologies have not been made accessible to all, and instead have deepened the divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in terms of access to infomation, or a voice in media, and to other kinds of connections. FIRE is working to ensure that women are given access to new technologies and that their voices are heard in the world’s media. Only by creating international communications venues, appropriating new media venues for diverse voices and connecting multiple voices, strategies and technologies, will a truly democratic media become a reality.”

FIRE´s experimental open source server during the workshop served to showcase that women´s ownership of servers is possible and furthermore, it can make the use of the internet a lot cheaper. Letters received by FIRE during the event expressed particular interest in this development.  “Another big step in the role of FIRE in promoting a new way of getting involved in political action has been taken by you all with this workshop. I am very proud of you all and hope to be able to get involved in the follow-up,” wrote Costa Rican feminist electric engineer, Patricial Thuel. A member of the Board of FIRE, Gratzia Lomonte, told FIRE that she especially welcomed the new open source server because “it shows that we can build a better world outside of the elitist corporate world and use our creative energies for the benefit of all.“  

Founder of FIRE, Genevieve Vaughan wrote the following:  “Hey, that's great! I think in English 'fuente abierta' is called 'gift  economy', a different economic paradigm is most urgenlty needed in the world.”  Frieda Werden of Women´s International Newsgathering Service (WINGS) in Canadá asked if the open server will be open for use by other feminists beyond the event. FIRE´s response was this: “Of course, once it becomes a permanent project, but so far it is only experimental!”

Spanish feminist activist, Monserat Boix of Mujeres en Red in Internet (Women’s Internet Network) in her country said that “it is good to know that there is a confluence of feminist proposals about democratization of media and the creation of internet tools such as open source. It would be great if we could organize an international meeting were we can discuss all of those issues and coordinate strategies so that we can do much more together.”

In another presentation at the workshop, Andrea Anfossi, program director of the Omar Dengo Foundation in Costa Rica, a provider of computer access and training for girls and boys in marginalized schools in the country during the last 12 years, addressed the difference in focus between a “society of knowledge” approach versus “society of information.” She said that “sometimes information is made synonymous with knowledge, and this is tricky; but information approached only as a resource to construct knowledge has profound political implications. ‘Society of Information’ can be defined in terms of access, media and technology hardware which are merely commodities to be bought and sold. But a ‘Society of Knowledge’ is different. It has to do with an informed citizenship.  Knowledge does not ‘just’ happen, but is the result of an intentional process of capacity building and human development.  So the key is to go beyond the ‘production’ approach. Machines and access are not a guarantee of development or empowerment. The vision that we have of this debate will determine the social construct of the societies of this century,” she concluded.

Nedelca Lacayo placed these concepts in the context of political activism though the internet. “A web page is not an end in itself.  It is an instrument for our objectives, which go beyond instruments themselves, because they are political. The Internet is a multiplier of our political actions. It is also a means to create and recreate our own knowledge. The Internet, especially for us black women, has to allow us to speak with our own voices, to share our experiences and voices or perspectives, instead of waiting for others to do so for us. These are issues of identity, reinforced by the way we make use of instruments like this one. We have to design strategies so that poor women who do not have access to the Internet can be represented in it. This in turn is what will motivate them to struggle for access and to use it.  The experience of this workshop has led us to beleive that the most important thing is to be committed to social change and transformation.”

“Cibersives” was the name adopted by one of the working groups who shared with others their experiences in the use of the internet for political activism in the region. Guatemalan radio producer Ana Silvia Monsón of the radio program “Voces de Mujer”  (Women’s Voices) explained that through e-mail her organization was able to generate international solidarity and pressure  when the administration of the radio station wanted to cut airtime for her program.  The women radio producers were able to stop the threat. Ana Silvia noted, “They (the administration) learned that we were not alone, that we are part of a global movement of women doing radio and that this movement was not going to allow this to happen. We learned that we have stronger negotiating capacity when we have the support of others.“

One after the other, all participants in the group shared similar experiences that speak to the fact that access to the internet allows for their voices to be hard in the midst of big media control.  Participation in global efforts such as the Campaign “Our Voices are Important Against Fundamentalism” which addresses the need to counteract fundamentalists’ disrespect of women´s human rights  and the Campaign against gender-based violence on the 25^th of November every year for the last decade and others was also shared. Participants emphasized that the use of the internet in activism is crucial to awareness and development of a global movement in today´s world.

“Cibersives” declared that there is a relationship between claiming a media of our own and the right to self determination and bodily integrity. “We are our bodies” was the topic selected by the group for the production of a collective web page. Upon opening this unique web page, what appears is a carefully designed collage of different parts of the bodies of participants. At the center is AWID´s (Association of Women in Developmen) T-shirt which calls for globalizing women´s rights, saying “globalizalos”.

Among numerous issues of access and training, workshop participants reconceptualized a feminist perspective about interactivity. One working group highlighted that women need to let surface “the girl within each of us” in order to demistify and overcome the fear of computers and programs. Describing the characteristics that a girl often has before she is overwhelmed by internalized patriarchal norms during adolescence, they said that she is playful, she is fearless, she is curious, and she is persistent in grabbing opportunities and learning what she wants.” 

Another group developed the idea of the “first time” at the computer, making a subtle analogy with the first time they made love. In the midst of great laughter and some anxiety, they highlighted that women have to make computer learning a fun experience (make the analogy yourself), that women have to bring into the process their own experiences (again, make the analogy), and that the first time (at the computer, of course) cannot be changed, but all the other experiences from then on can be made different! 

A third working group focused on the “lifesavers” that women need to create in order to surf the web with success and safety. Among them were the creation of women´s spaces and methodologies for training that are friendly, solidarious, and tolerant, and provide a rythm that respects process over outcome. Participants also called for the creation of a support network among women in the web and through e-mail for consultation when each is back in front of their individual computer trying to train others and continue working on their web pages. Such a support network was already being formed during the training workshop and will continue evolving through a list serve conducted by FIRE with the “knowhow” of all in the group to support each other.

The working group concluded that the main “lifesaver” is solidarity among women, and also talked about the contribution of men who are sensitive to women´s different ways of doing things such as on the computer.  Many have the support of their sons, brothers, husbands and male friends in the use of the Internet. That is also the case of FIRE, who had the support of Nomadic Solutions and Amerisol, both male-owned companies, who helped set up the open source server and the domain for the workshop.

Letters received during the event also expressed interest in the issue of feminist reconceptualization of technology. Mavic Cabrera, of ISIS--the Philippines said that she thought that discussion was very relevant. “We will get involved in it when we work with FIRE at the World Summit of the Information Society!” Erika Smith from LaNeta in México and APC  (Association of Progressive Comunications) in the region noted: “I am sorry I am not there [at the workshop], but I hope there is a way we can get involved at a distance, be it through the broadcasts or any other way. We at the Women´s Program of APC have seen that there is very little profound analysis of gender and ICTs, especially in Spanish.  We have undertaken a preliminary study about this that is not ready yet, so we would like to receive the documents of your discussions. We are always happy to learn side by side with FIRE!”

A live webcast on Feminist International Radio Endeavour´s Internet Radio also took place during the workshop. Community radio director in Bolivia, Mirian Suárez of the Centro de la Mujer and Elvira Angulo Agulo of the Asociación Promoción y Desarrollo de la Mujer (PRODEMU—Association for the Promotion and Development of the Woman) became sound engineers, interviewers and interviewees at different times during the broadband broadcast. “I am so thrilled I can hardly speak on the radio now. In all the time that I have been coodinating radio in my community, I never once went  near the technical controls. It is so much fun, so easy and so powerfull!  Elvira added that FIRE makes all technology seem very easy “because of the way you reduce it to the simplest level, in order to produce a very complex thing, such as this international broadcast, with the use of a small mixing board, three microphones and an old laptop.”

The letters sent to FIRE during the workshop celebrated this latest accomplishment and opened up new possibilities of interaction. Director of Radio Tierra in Chile and President of Latin American AMARC (World Association of Community Radios), María Pía Mata, wrote the following: “Congratulations for this initiative. The creation of a women´s space for training is great, and I really like the way you have justified its need.”

Likewise, Peruvian feminist Gaby Ayzanoa, Regional Representative of the Women’s Network of AMARC also wrote: “Congratulations! Women have the best abilities to work collectively and to create networks. That is precisely the basis of movement building.  I am thrilled about the new practices and theories that are being experimented upon in your workshop. I hope AMARC Women´s Network can contribute to the further development of this initiative of FIRE.” Colombian women of the national organization, Mujeres Autoras, Actoras de Paz (Women Authors & Actors in Peace) in the voice of Sara Gómez, and of Mujeres Jefas de Familia (Women Heads of Family) in Cali, Colombia as expressed by Anglea Domenech, stated their desire to get involved in the initiative. Both organizations have been involved in FIRE´s broadcasting experiences before.

The workshop “New Technologies for Political Activism” was organized by Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE) with the financial support of HIVOS of The Netherlands and founder of FIRE, Genevieve Vaughan of the USA.

Web page productions can be seen and heard at www.fire.or.cr.  The organizations´s productions will be featured soon in a temporary Open Source Server that is being prepared and will be availabe until the participants place their new web pages in local domains back in their home countries.

Groups participating in the workshop include:

El Salvador:  Fundación Clic Arte y Nuevas Tecnologías;  CORAMS, Centro de Orientación Radial para la Mujer Salvadoreña.

Costa Rica: Gender Program of the Technological Institute; Fundación Acceso; Unión Mundial por la Naturaleza.

Guatemala: La Tertulia; Kaqla;  Voces de Mujeres; Red Mujeres al Aire, Contemporánea Consultoras;

Nicaragua: Colectivo de Mujeres contra la Violencia; Servicios Integrales para la Mujer SI Mujer; Colectivo de Mujeres 8 de marzo;   Asociación de Mujeres de Jalapa contra la Violencia Oyanka;   Fundación Xochiquetzal.

Honduras: Centro de Derechos de las Mujeres / CDM; Colectiva del Centro de Estudios de la Mujer/CEMH; Comunicación Comunitaria /COMUN; Enlace de Mujeres Negras/ENMUNEH, Colectiva de Mujeres de Honduras, CODEMUH.

South America: Casa de la Mujer de Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Asociación Promoción y Desarrollo de la Mujer PRODEMU en Perú; Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir, Latinoamérica, Argentina.