Nov 30, 2005 | The Opinion
First Grassroots Educational Video Festival in Bangladesh, 23-30 August, 2005
The idea of the ‘Grassroots Video Festival’ came from the vision to involve and inspire the rural people particularly the grassroots youth leaders and children and to convey basic information which are not mentioned in the text book for ‘new leadership development’.
Black scenes
Countrywide 459 blasts in 63 districts within 30 minutes at August 17, 2005 has made a black scene in history of Bangladesh. This terrorism mostly involve misguided grassroots youth who are innocent belivers and have no clear concept about the modern world, faith and life style. General finding is that this incidence is not the cause but the reselt. It happened because we could not educate and train the youth generation as universal minded as to encounter fanaticism, hateism and prejudices at last to ignorance. The grassroots reality is that majority of rural people don’t have minimum access to basic life information; the youth and children grow up without knowing and live high risk of invisible conflict (sometime exposed) of HIV as well as other degradation of human values.
In Bangladesh, the mainstream media events are mostly held in cities and are arranged aacoding to the city people like and demand, with commercial and entertainment approach. Here majority grassroots people are back of scenes, or, in some case represented as hero of disaster, poverty and literacy. This steriotypic presentation also have been damely followed by the international media which together influences negatively and abstract the development process. Along with the negative aspects every society has positive cultural power and historical heritage which can advance and unite the whole nation unpresidently. Mostly media forget this sense while representing lives and stories of developing countries like Bangladesh. Power of culture and communal spirit can easily rise up by proper media presentation that can procede us despartely towards true freedom, peace, unity and happiness breaking through all the borders.
Credit: Shahjahan Siraj/UnnayanNet
The idea of the ‘Grassroots Video Festival’ came from the vision to involve and inspire the rural people particularly the grassroots youth leaders and children. The motivation of the festival is to convey basic information which are not mentioned in the text book for ‘new leadership development’. The theme of the festival was ‘Unite Us’ which comes from the patriotic slogan, ‘Unity Saving the People, Unity Saving the Nation’.
The festival
With huge participation of the students and youth, Bangladesh 1st Grassroots Educational Video Festival –2005 (http://www.festival.unnayannet.org) was held at Muktagacha and Kushtia, from 23-30 August, 2005. The first phase of the festival was held from 23 – 25 August 2005 at three colleges of Muktagacha. In Khushtia, it was held at Doulotpur Shilpokola Academy, Zilla Porishod Auditorium and Police Line College. Here along with the video show, ‘Youth leadership and development’ related workshop and cultural event were held.
Twenty-two documentaries collected from different countries had been screened in the festival which were contributed by – TVE Asia Pacific, BCCP, Youth Channel, ULTRALAB, Drik, Pluralism, UNDP, SEHD, Out Of Focus, WITNESS, Steps Towards Development and UNICEF – Bangladesh. The festival covered the issues of MDGs, human rights, Tsunami, acid violence, child rights, HIV/AIDS, Youth leadership, trafficking, environment, gender equality, small arms issues, etc. The documentaries on HIV/AIDS, acid victim, and Tsunami were highly appreciated. During show, evaluation form, festival sticker and postcard on ‘Truth Taking Project’ were distributed to the audience. Request has come to include the documentaries on the social problems and issues particularly on drug abuse, gender equality, global culture, etc., in the next year. The documentaries of the festival 2005 would be screened in ‘Rights and Development Convension 2005’ at Chittagong in Bangladesh on 25-27 November.
The festival proved that such kind of grassroots media event would surely advance the sustaining development and participatory process, and would help the unprivileged grassroots youth and children to meet with the today’s world.
Specifically the vision of the festival was to make a small step to inform the grassroots youth who don’t have minimum access to basic information. Even they don’t know about Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and basic human rights; but whole world including Bangladesh are going with the millennium targets 2015 to make a povertyless ‘new world’. Is it possible without giving priority and equal opportunity to majority grassroots people’s participation in development process to achieve the goals? Five years for MDGs and 50 years for Universal Human Rights Declaration have already passed but still now more than 95 percent Bangladeshi don’t know MDGs and/or rights.
Credit: Shahjahan Siraj/UnnayanNet
The experiences
As festival coordinator, I am very impressed and moved to see the huge participation and cooperation of grassroots people. I understand that this festival is beyond the educational curriculum and provides the much needed ICT and development education to the grassroots youth. However, visual and multimedia presentations are effective for quick understanding and result. In the region, there is no such community media centre, or knowledge centre or tale centre. Children and youth are learning with struggle by their own initiatives. Privileged are wining in the competition. As a result, the digital divide, information and opportunity gap are becoming sharper, which are not favourable for the future leadership and development. I believe a small ‘Grassroots Media Centre’ can make bridge and open the gate for access to information and opportunities for local people.
Credit: Shahjahan Siraj/UnnayanNet
To arrange the festival 2005, I knocked many doors for a small grant but without result. At last with self-finance, Machizo’s volunteer contribution, and local partnership with SETU and Borno we organised the festival in two districts which have been made pillar to arrange the festival every year. Within limited time and resources, we organised the festival and it was highly appreciated by audience and local civil society. For the following years, any kind of contribution from similar minded organisation and individual would be highly appreciated. My commitment in the year 2006 will be to organise the festival more widely and go forward with highest spirit to establish an ideal community based youth media centre.
In the way, UnnayanNet nowadays is making efforts and doing advocacy to establish an alternative, ‘Grassroots Youth Media Centre (UnnayanNet Info Centre)’ which will profoundly contribute to ‘new leadership, new development’ that will help to establish harmonious and peaceful information society, and to expand the ownership of modern technology and global information system to rural and disadvantaged people by solving the digital divide properly.
(One InfoCenter in One Village –
http://bangladesh.takingitglobal.org/express/panorama/article.html? ContentID=4494)
As a part of the initiave and in order to get better results, in the early 2006 UnnayanNet will organise workshop ‘Introducing ICT and Global Information to Grassroots Youth for New Leadership Development’. It is planned to expand this festival in the whole Bangladesh through the partners and stockholders of UnnayanNet.
Note: The article was published in I4D Magazine, November 2005 Issue | The original article as PDF
Nov 12, 2005 | The Opinion
Countrywide 459 blasts in 63 districts within 30 minutes at 17th August 2005 has made a black scene of Bangladesh history. With this terrorism was mostly involved misguided grassroots youth, are militants and innocent believers, have no clear concept about the modern World, faith and life style. General finding, this incidence is not cause, is the result. It happened because we could not educate and trainup the fallen as universal minded for encounter the fanaticism, hate-ism, prejudices and ignorance. The crude reality in the Bangladesh is – majority people don’t have yet minimum access to basic life information. The youth and children grow up without knowing; and living in high risk of invisible conflict (sometime exposed ), HIV/AIDS as well as in degradation of human values. This is time to initiate moving, “Saving Youth, Saving Nation”.
Living this time, we keenly feel to make a steps for change. We would like to contribute for root out the misunderstandings and anti-development forces by media education, proper information and news dissemination. With this vision “UnnayanNews ” has started this new mission and working form, that is “Launching Bangladesh First Development Multimedia Journal”. We believe only one news can makes unrepresented development by making revelation in heart. Initially it will be published once every three months covering important development and human rights issues.
Even though, there is a limitation in internet speed and access less than 1%, but we belive “UnnayanNews” initiative will make a milestone for multimedia and online journalism in Bangladesh. The specialty of the UnnayanNews is to focus on people oriented development and democratic participation beyond controversial political aspects. Along with Bangladeshi matters it will cover common South Asian issues also.
In other word, our strategy is to effective use of new-media opportunity for rising the global consciousness for development. We would like to also go forward with the vision of United Nations to establish information society and povertlyless “ New World” by 2015. Five years for MDGs and 50 years for Universal Human Rights establishment have already passed; but still now more than 95% Bangladeshi don’t know the Goals and Rights. With founding spirit, “UnnayanNews” surely will do advocacy, multimedia coverage and research to reach in a dignified level.
On the eve of WSIS and SAARC summit the first issues, “South Asian Voice” very relevant. My prayerful desires national and development leaders’ gathering both in Dhaka and Tunis will look ultimate goals, common and high prosperity beyond the limited self interests with communal spirit for a golden future. It should had to cover more matters of the regional issues. But due to our resource and time limitation we could not wide the efforts, even could not touch Maldives’ reality ! To represent board social reality and core situation of lands within limited arrangement, we have focused only digital divide and information rights.
We are sorry, considering Southern countries low Internet speed, we have used video clips low in size. Some case it has lost the quality of video and sound. Wish in near future we will be able to overcome this limitations.
November 12, 2005
Oct 21, 2005 | The Opinion
ICT and Human Rights Promotion in Bangladesh
ICT, specially Internet, used in collaboration with human rights activism, creates virtual alternative tunnels for the free flow of uncensored information. It has opened up the golden gate for human rights promotion in Bangladesh.
The whole world is heartrending to establish human rights, peace and happiness, fighting against the degradation of human values. Majority access to basic information and people’s participation are the precondition for human rights development and millennium targets. ICT has potentiality to serve as a democratising force. It provides public access to information, builds a virtual space for community gathering and grassroots development for repression, propaganda and enforces authoritarian control, particularly for the marginalised community. ICT, specially Internet, used in collaboration with human rights activism, creates virtual alternative tunnels for the free flow of uncensored information within and out of country. Global information systems, Internet as well as ICTs have opened up the golden gate for human rights promotion in Bangladesh.
It is proved that only one responsible website can change the situation dramatically by encouraging, awakening and making people sensitive to participation for protecting the violence and human rights abuses. It gives continuous objective education and awareness both to the defenders and offenders. Such type of effective and popular portal or website has not yet been launched in Bangladesh. The society is still very reluctant in development of human rights and power of people’s participation. Maximum people have no clear concept or interest about the rights, reality and participation although Bangladesh has two great examples of participation and success; one is language movement in 1952 and another is liberation war in 1971.
Because of excessive focus on personal matters and benefits; the extreme individualism, selfishness, corruption, dogmatism, violence (both visible and invisible) are increasing dangerously in Bangladesh. People are becoming separated to separate, divided to divide. This is the time to inform and educate the people about rights and power of participation by grasping the new media opportunities. ICTs, particularly the Internet and multimedia, can play most important role for promotion of human rights.
The history of Internet in Bangladesh is young, only 10 years old. In April 1994, from Netherlands, off-line e-mail system was started and in June 1996, first ISP was set up in Bangladesh. With low bandwidth and high price limitations also, Internet and mobile telecommunication are gaining popularity since 2000. But the access is limited up to certain level in urban areas only. Majority of the rural people don’t have access or involvement with this powerful media. Because of illiteracy, poverty and lack of awareness, villagers cannot even read newspapers. They totally depend on the centralised radio, television or verbally transmitted news and information which are mostly contaminated by the heralds.
The positive sign is that the national policy on ICT declaration and unprecedented youth participation in ICT fields have created great opportunity for social change by making community based ICT initiatives a reality.
Challenges and opportunity
According to national ICT policy, ‘Bangladesh is committed to provide the Internet facility which will be extended to all the district headquarters and subsequently to its adjacent area up to ‘upzila’ (sub-district) levels. Internet will be provided to the educational institutions and libraries. To ensure public access to information, cyber kiosks will be set up in all post offices, union complex and ‘upzila’ complex.…’. But the implementation is still in file and has not been reflected even in the national budget 2005.
Though our target is to ensure nationwide Internet connectivity and ICT infrastructure within 2006, but we have not yet been able to ensure minimum rural connectivity. Presently Bangladesh has more than 80 ISPs. But there is no VISP (Village Internet Service Provider) who will be responsible for majority people. The ICT service providers are focusing predominantly on the city area and are not interested in the village, even though 80% population of the country live in villages. All are reluctant with the prejudice that village is not a profitable region; but there are successful examples of Grameen Phone’s rural telecommunication initiative.
Low percentage of education and computer penetration, lack of Bangla interface, software and community based ICT as well as lack of proper ICT leadership have led to low Internet penetration in rural areas. The cost of computer, which is approximately equal to middle class farmers’ annual crop values, and more than 6 months salary of a middle income group person is another barrier.
The crude reality is that more than 90% people do not know yet what is Internet, even haven’t seen a computer.
Within these barriers also, the use of ICT is increasing in the human rights and development arenas of Bangladesh, especially by the youth leaders, journalists and media activists. The global information system is affecting positively towards behavioural change and practices. But the spirit of information and consciousness have not yet touched the heads of the society as it is needed.
Initiatives and success
Using Internet as a tool of social activism started in Bangladesh from the online forum ‘Alochona’ and webzine, ‘Meghbarta’.
‘Meghbarta’ (www.meghbarta.org) covers every aspect of the state, society and people of different class, gender, caste, nationality and group since its inception in October 1999.
‘Alochona’ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona) introduces itself as the first human rights web portal in Bangladesh. It was in the month of February, back in 1998, when the idea of ‘Alochona’ was first proposed in the chat email list ‘ADDA’. ‘Alochona’s’ goal was to provide voice to Bangladeshis worldwide to discuss serious issues and news using the Internet. Finally, on June 11, 1998 ‘Alochona’ (http://www.alochona.org) was launched with 44 interested subscribers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Bangladesh. Hosted from a laptop using the Internet resources in Dhaka, ‘Alochona’ was the first moderated forum for Bangladeshis.
‘Banglarights.net’ (www.banglarights.net) was launched in February 2001 with the collaboration of the British Council and Drik. It is the outcome of a successful workshop on ‘Effective use of the media and the Internet to promote human rights’. The author was involved with this initiative as site designer and online editor (2001-2004). It is an independent platform for media professionals and human rights activists who believe in a society respectful of the rights of all its members.
The second initiative, ‘Drishtipat’ (www.drishtipat.org) was taken in November, 2001 from USA. It is a non-profit, non-political expatriate Bangladeshi organisation, committed to safeguarding every individual’s basic democratic rights, including freedom of expression, and is opposed to any and all kinds of human rights abuses in Bangladesh. This website is intended for disseminating information about the state of human rights and social change in Bangladesh, and to discuss potential campaigns. ‘Drishtipat’ and its local chapters have undertaken numerous campaigns every year since its inception in 2001.
‘Mukto-mona’ (www.mukto-mona.com) and ‘Uttorshuri’ are also famous for their progressive online activism in favour of human rights development. ‘Mukto-mona’ is a loose Internet congregation of secularists, freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics and humanists of mainly Bengali and South Asian origin scattered across the globe against all kinds of social injustices. And the online discussion forum ‘Uttorshuri’ (www.uttorshuri.net) is an Internet based socio-cultural network dedicated to the Bangla speaking people from around the world, including Bangladesh and West Bengal of India.
Including the Daily Star (www.thedailystar.net), ‘Prothom Alo’ (http://www.prothom-alo.net), etc., all popular national newspapers which are now available online, and are providing everyday human rights news and situation. The Daily Star regularly publishes a special chapter on human rights, ‘Law and Our Rights’ (www.thedailystar.net/law). Beside these, personal mailing list ‘Shahidul News’ and ‘Shobak News’ (www. shobak.org) are acting as the most popular human rights list servers. ‘Shobak’ is famous for its alternative views and antiwar activities. The ‘Shahidul News’ (http://groups.yahoo. com/group/shahidulnews) is initiated by photographer Shahidul Alam for announcements on media and human rights related issues, with a specific emphasis on photography. ‘Manusher Jonno’ (www.manusher.org) and ‘Shushashoner Jonno’, ‘Procharavijan – SUPRO’ (www.supro.org) are prominent human rights networks in Bangladesh. Moreover, BRAC (www.brac.net), ‘Proshika’ (www.proshika.org), ‘Ain O Shalik Kendro’ (www.askbd.org) and SEHD (www.sehd.org) and ‘Bangladesh Shishu Odhikar Forum’ (www.bsafchild.org), Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) (www.wbbtrust.org), VOICE (www.voicebd.org) are doing good job for human rights development. Few of them regularly publish the updated news, human rights reports and observations online. Among NGOs, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) (www.ypsa.org) has established the country’s first community multimedia centre. The Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) (www.bnnrc.net) is promoting community radio and doing advocacy.
Nowadays, most of all Dhaka based human rights organisations have websites and Internet connectivity which increase human rights awareness and networking. But more than 2000 grassroots organisations and NGOs don’t have minimum ICT capacity and minimum updates of information about contemporary human rights movement of the world. Without them, it is impossible to establish nationwide human rights and the desired peaceful information society. UnnayanNet (www.unnayannet.org) is providing web site design and ICT capacity building training to grassroots human rights and development organisations in order to give the ownership of modern information and technology to majority of the people.
Along with local organisations, international human rights agency and the organisations such as Amnesty International, the Committee Protect Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights Watch, Transparency International are also playing important role through ICT for human rights promotion in Bangladesh.
ICT as the action media
In remote villages, Internet facility is not available, but there are NGO activities. To establish ‘Human rights multimedia resource centre’ in every village nationwide, large number of NGOs network can play an important role. Since 2001, the use of ICT tools has increased dramatically in Dhaka as well as in major districts and divisional cities. More than 90% cyber and ICT businesses are run successfully by young ICT entrepreneurs. It is proved that the youth entrepreneurship and youth participation can make ICT as action media for human rights and aspects of information society promotion. In context of Bangladesh, the following recommendations can be effective for human rights promotion through ICTs
* Use of ICTs as human rights advocacy tools for strengthening the virtual presence and networking capacities of human rights organisations;
* Use of website, blog, online forum, mailing list for online campaign, mobilisation and urgent news dissemination;
* Promotion of online journalism and human rights activism for strengthening civil society involvement and people participation;
* Establish community based human rights multimedia resource centre ‘InfoCentre’ and ‘InfoBooth’ fixed with one computer (in advanced cases, multimedia computer/touch screen can be used) in every village as an initiative of NGO or local community organisations;
* Promote the use of multimedia local content, interactive legal quiz on declarations and human rights, audio-visual presentation in public place and mass media.;
* 24 hours ‘hot line’, ‘free dial’, SMS for reporting human rights violations can be effective for instant communication, help against abuse and proper treatment;
* Promote decentralised community radio project which can be effective for making social awareness on the local issues;
* Compulsory ICT and human rights education in schools can give institutionalisation of the human rights discourse.
Searching the new dimension
The establishment of VISP and community human rights media resource centre/booth as well as nationwide Internet access can ensure the ownership of modern information and technology for the majority rural poor which can be advanced in Bangladesh with a jump for human rights promotion and development.
The intolerance and violence against women and minorities makes tension in Bangladesh. There is need to educate, involve and inspire the people including religious community. The author has a dear vision to see the priests of Bangladesh as Internet users, and establishment of community multimedia/ cyber center/InfoCentre in religious institutes, like mosques, madrashas, temples, pagodas, etc. in Bangladesh. It is needed to inform the masses that human rights means the surety of qualitative and dignified lives which is the consequence of people’s participation, contribution and awareness.
Note: This article as published in “I4D Magazine, Issue – July 2005. The original article [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ PDF ]
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Oct 20, 2004 | The Opinion
Postmortem:
Digital divide between urban and rural, poor and rich is prominent in Bangladesh. Telecom Infrastructure in Bangladesh 700,000 fixed lines (90% in service). The Telephone density is 0.5 lines per 100 populations. The lowest average telephone density of the world is 0.05 per 100 people in rural areas. Even though through the Grameen Phone provided more than 800,000 mobile cellular telephones, connected in which 16,000 village phones in 15,000 villages providing teleaccess to 30 million people. The Global Internet Population is 550 million. Annual growth approx 30% that is 9% of global population. But in Bangladesh has only 700,000 Internet/e- -mail users i.e. 0.55% of population in which 90% is from Dhaka and divisional cities.
In this situation Bangladesh has declared National Policy on ICT with the vision to comprise the knowledge society by the year 2006. In view of this, a country-wide ICT infrastructure will be developed to ensure access to information by every citizen to facilitate empowerment of people and enhance democratic values and norms for sustainable economic development by using the infrastructure for human resources development, governance, e-commerce, banking, public utility services and all sorts of on-line ICT enabled service. But in this year 2004 also villages do not have sufficient connection with the outside world. Local residents do not have access to news about the country, government, education, neighboring markets, or even about job opportunities. Internet facilities in rural area especially Village Kiosks will attempt to provide up to date information to village residents about all the daily facets of life, also can create opportunity to fill the lack of information in the rural areas.
10 years before in April 1994 from Netherlands e-mail system was started as DrikTAP initiative, and in June 1996 Bangladesh first ISP was set up by a private entrepreneur. The internet technology could not expand as VSAT licensed by BTTB deregulated in 2000.
Presently Bangladesh has more than 80 ISPs. Mostly in Dhaka based, but gradually some are spreading to other cities/towns. However all ICT service providers now are focusing predominantly on the city area, not interested to the village, even though 80% population of the country lives in village. All are reluctant with the prejudice that village is not a profitable region, even though there is a great prospect and need for ‘Rural Internet’ program as like as ‘Grameen Phone program.
However the internet users are e-mail holder not browsers. Broadband, wireless and cable connectivity only available in Dhaka, Chittagong and main city areas. Submarine Cable connection to Global Information Superhighway has signed with SEA ME-WE 4 Consortium to be commissioned hopefully by August 2005. E-business can not be developing as needed and have potentiality. The main problem is e-commerce is prohibition of electronic money transfer, security, privacy.
The dilemmas :
Within the low percentage of education, English language barrier, poverty and lack of true leadership Bangladesh needs to use ICT and digital opportunity for its development through creating ICT entrepreneurship, knowledge based society and Global connectivity. Only less than 20% of its population has access to electricity, more than 95% people do not know what is Internet, even haven’t seen computer yet! Here the cost of computer is middle class farmer’s crop values, and more than 6 months one’s salary.
The most serious problem for Bangladesh is the lack of ICT leadership and strategy both in Government and NGO level, which come from the lack of technological knowledge and expertise among the senior citizens, leaders who are operators and top of the society. According to National Policy, “Bangladesh is committed to provide the Internet facility will be extended to all the district headquarters and subsequently to its adjacent area up to Upzila levels. Internet will be provided to the educational institutions and libraries. To ensure public access to information, Cyber Kiosks will be set up in all Post offices, Union complex and Upzila complex. …” but the situation is not going successful way.
Bangladesh needs Electronic Government that all forms to be made available on the web. All government departments/ministries dealing with members of public to have web pages ensure of goods and services.
But only 10% of government ministries and agencies have websites, most of websites don’t update regularly. All Government publications should have accessible from Web, but only a few forms is available only a few forms are available.
Low computer penetration, slow and expensive Internet access, lack of Bangla interface, lack of credit cards access for international transactions, cyber security and lack of proper laws on internet, is another challenges of the nation.
Youth leadership:
Social entrepreneurship, potential youth leadership can bring benefits to the majority rural populations. Nowadays just need ice breaking pioneering initiatives and proper leadership from policy level.
Bangladesh has huge number of youth who knows functional English and has college or university degrees but is unable to get job in city areas. These jobless youth can play prime role as a social entrepreneurs as well as ICT promotion and users of digital applications. Even though there is no internet and computers in rural areas but has high potentiality of ICT entrepreneurships as young people has enormous interest to receive the new culture and technologies.
It is proved; the future of ICT promotions, entrepreneurship by youth is bright in Bangladesh. Since 2001 the use of ICT tools has increased dramatically in Dhaka, major districts and divisional cities. In divisional cities almost 10,000 cyber café has been established, mobile phone users has also increased into 30 times, 70% house has satellite cable TV connections. Most significant information is 75% mobile phone users and 95% cyber cafés’ owners are young. More than 90% cyber businesses are running successfully by young business men. Centering on “Village Cyber Kiosk” the agro based village ICT entrepreneurship can be expanded, huge number of social development initiatives can be run effectively.
In rural Bangladesh ICT entrepreneurship would be sustainable and profitable as it will provide service to the mass people. The young owners of the cyber kiosks and, or cyber center can income by providing the services of email and browsing, word processing, printing and publishing, design, net to phone usages, computer training, translation, market related information to village artisans, farmers and venders by making ‘bulletin board system (BBS)’ for local business man. They can start also web design, multimedia, digital photography, videography, software development etc services. The web shopping mall of the local products, computer accessories and software sailing business can be very profitable business. VISP (village Internet Service Provider), NGO and local government agencies can bring lot of work orders (for example data entry) from foreign countries and cities for trained village youth, particularly for rural educated girls. They can also be also man power media to recruit famous company.
The ownership :
The ownership of the modern technology should be majority people, in Bangladesh rural poor. Even though out of 64 in 43 districts have Internet accesses by BTTB, but still very expensive, are not available every places because of technical and administrative difficulties. People are not being conscious to use the internet for lack of information. To accomplish the following 3 steps Bangladesh can change the situation
1) By setting Internet Kiosks in the public place such as at/near railway stations, launch terminals, post offices, the ICT can be available and popular to semi urban, country site as well as rural communities.
2) Providing compulsory training on use of internet, computer as well as ICT education for all Government officials, and free internet connection to all government offices can change the attitudes of implementation levels.
3) By overcoming the bureaucratic inertia and gradually people to people, government to people, government to government interaction will be increased; people participation will be active for democracy and development.
By using the ICT and web applications villagers can get a lot of benefits. Village artisans and producers will get access to global markets as well as city market without middle men exploitations. They will be able to check current market everyday prices. Computer games will be modern and alternative entertainment for the rural children. Growing with computer use children will be 2nd generation programmers, technician and experts. Villagers will be able to communicate with relative in abroad by net to phone, email and chat instantly with low cost. Cyber Kiosk can be e-post office for the e-mail networking as all villages don’t having computers. From e-public services villagers will get benefit from government services like citizens’ rights information, getting driving license, passport, online voting banking, transportation etc.
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains poverty, low level of formal education, overpopulation, and unaccountable Governing culture. The GNP per capita, is around 370.0 (1999, Atlas method current US$) The flow of goods and services in rural areas are hampered by high mark-ups through village middlemen who distort market conditions for their advantage. The middlemen buy at negligible prices from informal sector artisans and sell at a large profit to urban populations. This entire chain of events occurs because of the lack of information of the market that both village artisans and urban buyers face. If this void could be filled then the benefits to poor entrepreneurs would generate employment, increase income, and purchasing power for village residents. Proper initiatives will be taken to utilize ICT systems in agro-based industries, agricultural research, and dissemination of agricultural technology, agri-business development to the farmers and preparation and maintenance of agricultural database.
E-health and e-learning initiatives also can be popular business. In Bangladesh, generally doctors live in city areas; they are not available for the villagers. If ‘Village Cyber Kiosk’ makes electronic link with doctors and send the detail of the patients including photographs – doctors easily can give suggestion within short time through e-mail. Moreover village students will be able to earn degree from the famous initiative through e-distance learning.
Bangladesh Government has declared education for all, good health for all. By using ICT tools the declaration can make realistic. E-health activities like electronic medical records, telemedicine and health education, etc. can make mass peoples’ awareness about child mortality, maternal health and HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Government (E- government) should use ICT system within the public administration to improve efficiency, reduce wastage of resources, enhance planning, and raise the quality of services.
However, to discriminate the information on environmental problems and their causes ICT can help to build the capabilities to fight against the environmental degradation. GIS and other ICT-based systems can estimate crops and play important role for conservation of nature.
The target
The ultimate goal is to establish the aspects of true glocalization ( global + local ) and culture of peace. Today’s world even our mind is divided based on religion and information. Muslim culture has obstacle and misunderstanding about the high tech culture. But ICT opens the gateway for Inter-religious dialogue, understanding, religious freedom. By using the ICT tool Bangladeshi especially Muslim community will be able to know other religions and culture, will be able to overcome the hostility. By overcoming the misunderstanding will may will be find the common vision and purpose centering on one God’s love
In Bangladesh, priests don’t touch the internet; avoid the cyber culture and expand propaganda in sermon also, “Internet is a satanic culture, and is a trap of Jews-Christian to destroy Muslim young generation and religion!…” Not only this but also there is hidden cultural conflict between parents and children about the using the internet. Middle class parents’ feelings, the internet is a pornographic media by which our children’s morality will fall down! But most of the parents and social leaders don’t have experience about the power of new media. They don’t know through the Internet any body can know anything, anytime from anywhere of the world!
To ensure the benefit of the ICT, Globalisation as well as the Global family for majority inhabitances, religious people can contribute more than politicians, educators and social leaders, as Bangladesh is Muslim religions based society. Here ICT can play a prophetic role to promote the Global family values and can unit the whole world into a community.
My eternal desire to see the priests as an internet users, and establishment of community cyber café in religious institutes. If those cyber cafés would open for all, priest arrange online peace dialogue positively with another religions’ people centering on one God, better understanding and consciousness will not be so far.
The intolerance and violence against women and minorities makes tension in Bangladesh. In the male dominant society, Bangladeshi women are two some extinct exploited and oppressed. By grasping the digital opportunity, they will be able to know MAN = WOMAN < HUMAN BEING = MAN + WOMAN
However ICT opens the gate to establish peace and harmony by better understating each other in the knowledge Society. Today through ICT human communication has been expanded which great chance to establish ‘Culture of Peace’. Nationwide internet connectivity, ICT entrepreneurship in rural Bangladesh can play important role for poverty alleviation, public access to information, people participation, youth employment, and reduction of migration from village to city and rise up awareness about social justice, human rights and good governance.
My vision, “one info centre for one village”:
My life desire to see at least one info cyber center in every village of Bangladesh. By accomplishing the national target, ICT can reach to the last mile solutions by giving the benefit to the majority peoples. Regarding this large number of NGOs network and local development organizations can play important role. The advantage things, most of NGO has computer, own office and micro-credit program which make favorable condition to gives the life to targets. Government can also take initiative as like as 80s’decades’ Radio and TV promotion through local government institutions. In order to harmonize the modern technology with indigenous culture, Bangladesh demands to establish ‘Info Cyber Centre’ in each village, which can be also rural computer training centre.
In closing I would like to say, in order to access of quality and relevance information to the people, in Bangladesh needs to launch nationwide internet connectivity and at least on public info cyber center in every village, and at the same time needs responsible websites on e-governance, e-learning e-commerce in which the target and subject can be the village people and life, covering agriculture products and market related information, flood and disaster management, HIV/AIDS and health consciousness, human rights and gender equalization, cultural heritage and social justice.
Dhaka: 7 September, 2004
Note: This article has been published in Panorama of TakingItGlobal | Oct 20, 2004
Jul 11, 2004 | The Opinion
The break down of love and relationships is the most serious problem in the present world. We are all longing for happiness, but if we don’t know what happiness is how can really be happy? I asked many people for their opinions on happiness. Nobody could give me a clear and satisfactory answer, just smile and ignore my question. I realized that there is a lack of clarification or lack of consciousness about happiness; even though we are all moving and searching for it. As I understand it “happiness means oneness with eternal desires and accomplishment of four spheres of love; children love, siblings love, conjugal love and parental love.”
Can you imagine what terrible suffering happens when we face the lack or loss of love and relationships? I find that because of our selfish love, views, desires as well as ideas, we lose our true relationships. A huge number of the population is only physically mature but spiritually and psychologically immature, just like a child. They express their immaturity in daily life through extreme selfishness.
We know children are naturally selfish and cannot understand the emotional situations of others. They commonly show attitudes based on demand, they protest and protect their own benefits. They can show love and joy when their desires are fulfilled and sorrow when they are not. The children’s love is considered as the pre-mature stage of love. Not only children, but aged people can also show this childish love and attitudes in everyday interactions. I am sure, if we could make a video documentary of our daily life, covering both physical actions and physiological status without any edit, we would feel shy and regret after watching our degradations and selfishness.
Nowadays, parents have also lost their ideal position. Most of parents can’t be dedicated to their responsibilities because of their selfish viewpoints and ideas. Children are being raised with a ‘lack of love’ and loneliness. The `lack of love` is the origin of conflicts, depression, psychological complexity and chaos as well as all kinds of personal, family and social crimes. Mostly in the West and North children and youth are alienated; confused about their purpose and value of life. But in the East and South, children and parents are both very busy in their struggle to survive through poverty. Children and youth are commonly frustrated worldwide. In the irritation they suffer in hunger, they want to be recognized. Throughout their lives they may find the source of temporal joy, become addicted to drugs, gambling, or abnormal sexual habits like free sex and homosexuality. “Do as I like” and “My life, my freedom” become their life mottos. They enjoy wild freedom without responsibilities and disciplines by the name of human rights. The attitudes of frustrated and aggressive groups express, “No need for parents, no need to be parents; no need any authority. We are youth and don’t care about the results”. In such way they lose not only faith in life, but faith in themselves as well.
In the family, the true parents’ personality should resemble that of God. Parents should take care and love the children as God does. Children also should show absolute love, absolute faith and absolute obedience to parents as they do to God. Modern parents would like to finish their parental responsibilities just giving money and pushing the children in so called competition of professionalism and selfishness. By observing these situations, some philosophers explain, “This era is the era of no parents, no love and no God!”
With the lack of parental care, children can not also practice the sibling love. The sibling love is the precondition of societal interactions, patriotic love and saintful responsibilities to society. The filial piety always eager to do something for parents, in the way becomes serious to take care of our brothers and sisters as well as relatives. They can see and consider the whole situation objectively from parental view points, easily can sacrifice for others and become responsible. The parental and objective views encourage us to overcome jealous, anger, restlessness as well as all kind of hostility and conflicts. The serious impact of unsuccessful sibling love is religious, racial and cultural conflicts. This is strange, in the religious realms religious peoples believe to same God, say everybody about world peace and harmony; but can not tolerate each other! I think, they don’t believe actually on ‘parental God’ but believe in ‘God of dogmatism and doctrine’. True religions always look true love, harmony and peace as well as natures of parental God. True religious people practices sibling love excellently in global level, consider everybody is brothers and sisters, members of ‘God’s Family” that is “Global Family” where do not have any conflicts.
I feel sorry by remembering the saying about modern American conjugal life, “My child and your child are quarrelling with other children”. Divorce, sexual abuse, fatherless babies, homeless aged, etc. are the by-products of today’s selfish culture. Through the misuse of information and media southern countries are now influenced by the “culture of individualism”, “culture of separations”. Modern couples directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously consider conjugal life is ‘life of sexual partnership’, not ‘life long partnership’. Is it honest and responsible life style? Eating together, sleeping together, but living in different world with limitless disagreements can give us peace and happiness? Personally I think “do as I like” motto can not give us real salvation and total freedom. To rejoice true freedom, we must have to be responsible in a personal level, family level and societal level.
However, my friends please don’t misunderstand me by hearing my negative expressions. I am not hopeless, I am a visionary, I believe that ‘family is the school of love and peace’, ‘family is the mini government’, by which we can establish our ultimate goals happiness and peace in all spheres of life.
Note: Published in Panorama | TakingItGlobal | Jul 11, 2004
