The Know How Conference: A Safari into the Cross-Cultural World of Women’s Knowledge Exchange

From 21st – 27th July of this year, two important conferences took place in Kampala, Uganda. A first for Africa, the two conferences were Women’s World 2002 arranged by the Gender and Women’s Studies Centre at Makerere University and ‘Know How’ organised by ISIS-WICCE (Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange) and assisted by the International Information Centre and Archives for the Women's Movement (IIAV) in Amsterdam and Isis International-Manila. The ‘Know How’ Conference, born as a four-yearly concept in Amsterdam in 1998, aimed to bridge the gap and radically affect the relationships between research, activism, information and communications. In order to achieve this, objectives were laid out to increase and improve the visibility of African women’s issues, concerns and progress made in the information centres, archives and services; establish and strengthen links between women information specialists in Africa and the rest of the world; evaluate progress made in the field of information collection, processing and dissemination andsharing of best practices; equip more women activists with Information and Communication Technology skills; and develop a plan of action for generating and sharing information by/with rural women activists.
Bridging Communities
The opening ceremony started off with a dance and theatre presentation by Yole!Africa and was followed by brief speeches by the organizers. Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, as President of the Board of Directors of Isis-WICCE, gave the keynote address. In her thought-provoking address, Dr Kanyoro firmly stated that ‘information is not an end to itself’. She further stressed the importance of asking ‘Information for what and for whom?  Why are we collecting this information and what difference is it making in the lives of women?  What do we do with the information once it is collected?’ As a South African media advocate I would also question if we have really addressed issues such as how to distribute information already gathered and through which media do we disseminate them. Do we have to take into account the urban – rural divide as well as the growing digital divide?
Women do not exist in the world of politics
In order to engage the participants, the conference introduced a keynote speaker every morning. On the Wednesday morning, Thenjiwe Mtintso, spoke of her personal experiences with the mainstream media and related an amusing tale from the time she was newly elected Deputy Secretary General of the South African National Congress, a portfolio she shares with five men. Just after the election she and her male colleagues were interviewed by the media. Despite the status that lies in the position to which Mtintso had recently been elected, the journalists rendered her totally invisible, bypassing her each time a question was asked. Towards the end of the interview, a rather small microphone was pushed towards her with the question, ‘and what do you plan to do for women?’ as though women politicians exist only for women and not for the nation!
Particularly well attended at the conference were the Capacity Development Workshops, particularly the use of internet radio and build your own website workshops.  Several women from the region, and notably from francophone countries in Africa attended the training workshop on Digital Recording on Computer at the FIRE (Feminist International Radio Endeavor) place.  One of the outcomes of this session was the production of a 15-minute live broadcast about conflicts in Francophone Africa, with a particular focus on establishing international solidarity for peace. This program was transmitted live to FIRE’s online web cast from the training session.  
‘Getting Smart’ at the ‘Know How’
The launch of the ‘Getting Smart’ training manual produced by Women’s Media Watch and Gender Links, two South African NGOs was another enjoyable capacity development workshop. Lene Øverland from Women's Media Watch South Africa, co-editor with Colleen Lowe-Morna presented the manual by going back to when the idea for the manual was born from the need for an effective tool to help gender activists plan effective media strategies to popularise and lend clout to their work. Built into the launch was a workshop which divided the participants into small groups to form an effective communication strategy around the challenge of "bridging the digital divide", under the sections branding, traditional media, mainstream media, community media and information technology.
The groups provided a wonderful opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and provided immediate proof of the need to tailor the choice of media to the audience one wishes to address. At the end of the workshop each group had created their own particular strategy which they communicated through drama, poetry, music, idioms, proverbs and folklore. The workshop highlighted that communication strategies can be fun at the same time as being persuasive.
Focus on low tech media
The parallel sessions, particularly those aimed at ‘low tech’ media usage, proved to be a source of fresh ideas and inspiration. Maria Suarez of FIRE inspired participants with her presentation in which she stated, ‘When we (women) have access to radio we do not need access to the (mainstream) print media.’ At the same time, however, it is important to realize that one medium does not necessarily have a diversity of representation and sources. Based on her research, she reported that radio remains the most popular medium in Costa Rica and so it is vital to maintain a focus on radio as a means to reach the masses and not just the privileged literate elite. Women and men, who are often silent listeners, can access the airwaves through relatively inexpensive means and easily accessible technology. She also reported that in several countries in South America cell phone providers have bought a large number of airwaves almost blocking access for radio broadcasts – a trend which may spread to other regions.
The Way Forward
A personal highlight was my participation in the ‘distilling team’ that drafted the final conference declaration. The declaration includes issues such as:
‘We need to increase access to ICTs for women in conflict and post-conflict situations as well as women living in areas of humanitarian disaster.’
‘We should advocate a model African Union policy on gender and telecommunications.’
‘In terms of access to ICTs we must challenge government policies that hinder access to ICTs. We need a strategic understanding at national levels of government policies and as a group we want to ensure that all policies that affect women’s access to ICTs include a gender perspective.’
‘We want community media recognized in government policies as different from mainstream media.’
‘We must ensure that communications as a human right is understood particularly in times of crisis.’
These issues and others in the declaration will be taken up and their implementation lobbied for by regional working committees.
Overall, the conference was a great opportunity for networking and for building future collaboration among organizations from around the globe as well as obtaining a fresh look at new developments.
By Judith Smith, Women’s Media Watch, South Africa. Judith’s participation in the Know How Conference was funded by the WACC Women’s Programme.