African Technological Revolution Update

Enabling people, and children in particular, to become the global TV journalists of their own lives is surely one of the most radical implications of the One Laptop Per Child project. This wave of undeniable testimony would make Africa a place of real people with real preventable problems, not the starving or bloated stereotypes allowed by the constraints of C20th news media.

Self-serving ex popstar or not, Peter Gabriel, among others, has been promoting this kind of independent Witness programme since the internet became a mass media. And to celebrate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is launching a twin project in The Hub, an

...interactive community for human rights, where you can upload videos, audio or photos, or simply watch, comment on and share what’s on the site. You can use each media item on the site to encourage individuals to learn more and to get involved by providing direct links to resources, advocacy groups, campaigns and actions that they can take to make a difference. Additionally, you can connect with groups or create one of your own to feature your work on the Hub.

An uncensored YouTube which cannot be interfered with by business interests or governments. This is not going to change the world alone, but it will increase pressure on the market leader to stand up to obnoxious regimes, and allow more footage which reveal their depravity.

In turn, the increased significance of this kind of new people's media will increase the pressure to treat access to digital publishing as a right, not a privilege derived from wealth. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be key in achieving this.