Monday, May 22, 2017

Learning by doing - C'est Congolestic!

In this century, social, economic and political life has undergone an unprecedented upheaval: the rise of a new economy emerging from the new information and communication technologies is undoubtedly a predominant feature of the period in which we live .

The originality of the Internet and the new information and communication technologies (ICT) lies in the fact that it affects all fields, all sectors and more generally everyone. The scope of use of these new technologies is as wide as any other technology can measure.

The rise ICTs signals and accompanies a profound transformation of societies and therefore plays a major role in development in the 21st century.

However,The use of ICTs in Africa and particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) currently remains sporadic and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has only now starting to take baby steps with little clear guidance for their positive development and impact on sustainable development.
More, my personal experience interacting at and in regional and international ICTs gatherings is that of a lack of representation or contribution thereof of DRC stakeholders' positions either on policy, development or draft declaration. Worst, the Congo appears only in 1/4 research studies' index published on the internet.

Taking these into consideration, I founded in 2015 what I called: CONGOLESTIC (LES CONGOLAIS ET LES TECHNOLOGIES DE L’INFORMATION ET DE LA COMMUNICATION)  to inform, train and inspire the youth via robotics workshops and bring people together from various stakeholder groups as equals to discuss public policy issues related to ICTs and STEM education in the DRC. We aim to contribute and facilitate a common understanding of how to maximize ICT opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise from new technologies in the DRC.

Logo: I came up with a French neologism, C'est "Congolestic"! Adjectif enunciates Authentic Congolese exchange between primitive communication the "lokole" and that of modern data the "download". (and, I won't be surprised to see Africa following with: i.e: Togolestic, Rwandalestic, Mauritiuslestic, Burundilestic ...:) 

CONGOLESTIC’s mission is to raise awareness, provide information, discussions and training on new technologies of communication and robotics in the DRC.

We organize courses and hands-on workshops on robotics, cybersecurity, internet of things and the right to Internet access. Also, we have set an incubator and work with groups of engineers and students on projects and innovations within the STEM field.

Do you know of a DR Congolese with expertise in technologies of information, based in Congo or abroad? We will be grateful to connect with him. Drop us an email to info@congolestic.org or DM us on social platforms. This is our website: www.congolestic.org

Feel free to contribute to our discussions. Your inputs are welcome.