The Right to Speak Ik will mobilize, build capacity and create awareness for a handful of remaining Ik speakers in Uganda’s remotest region of Karamoja to use Digital technologies particularly mobile phones, digital cameras and micro blogs to not only document and preserve important ancestral knowledge and cultural wealth found in the endangered IK language but also encourage the next generation of speakers.
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The Ik would like to have the Bible, schoolbooks, and a dictionary in Ik; their strong desire is that the children learn how to read and write in Ik. The project will also create Literacy training clubs and a local community radio audio podcasts. The History, language, original food, traditional, original Cultural Practices and the Tourism Potential of Ik villages will be the main focus of the microblogs, photography and audio podcasts created.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
We will work with BloggersUG working group to facilitate trainings, moderate content and provide ongoing support. Open Space Centre the implementing organization has experience working in nearby districts in Abim and Pader which border the target district. Local NGOs will provide ongoing support, assist in identification of participants in the trainings, introductions with local leaders and heads of families, churches and schools.
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
20 participants including Teachers, community elders & youth will be trained and these will be sourced through recommendations and consultations with institutions already working in the area. We will sustain their participation through setting up local Ik museum/library in partnership with the Catholic church in the area encourage community ownership and attract tourists. Ik are willing to volunteer for projects to improve their living situation
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
Rising Voices can support the program through providing links to free training guides from past similar trainings, access and contacts to rising voices grantees who are doing similar work for sharing good case practices and help feature and promote the content generated from the project.
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3 comments
Karamoja is indeed one of the most backward and cut off areas in the whole world. Would be interesting to hear stories coming from this area. I don’t even know that he IK people indeed exist in Uganda……is there a way i can volunteer on this project…..am good at blogging and training in micro-blogging..
I have been working in Karamoja for the last three years centred in Abim just close to Kabong District where the IK people live. They have a very unique culture and this place doesnot have internet or any phone network so am very curious about how you will connect them to the global map but i suggest you work with our organisation AYDL as we have a very good working relationship with the elders. We can also help to identify some local Ik people to do some translations. Overall this is a unique program. Keep me posted
I am happy that this kind of project to happen in Uganda. Alot of the time bloggers or persons with interest to get be citizen journalists especially in the rural areas have been over looked – I find that most training always happen around Kampala and leaving other parts of Uganda out of the Picture …
Conducting a project in Karamoja brings in a new face to allow more people in the rural Uganda to participate in the online discussions – This is away to go and i am happy Wakib you are setting the Example . I am Sure BloggersUG would love to give their input
Thank you