Chiedza Vol 15 No 1 ICT in Africa, Creating or Fragmenting Communities

Abstract

The desire to belong is central to most (if not all) human beings and a community forms the foundation on which human relationships are built. Over centuries, the understanding of the notion of community has evolved. Varied types of communities have been organised by people to satisfy the need for belonging. One should not thus expect uniformity in understanding community. Ifeanyi Menkiti, who belongs to the radical communitarian tradition, contends that "it is the community which defines the person as a person, not some isolated static quality of rationality, will, or memory''. For Menkiti people do not choose to belong to the community; they must belong to one. He further notes that human beings "become persons only after a process of incoporation ... into this or that community." Menkiti seems to imply that there is a personifying entity out there called commuruty. He fails to appreciate that community means people. A community would not be tenable if human beings did not exist. Thus, in my view, Menkiti diminishes tbe agency of individuals in creating the communities of which they will realize themselves. Moderate African communitarians Like Kwame Gyekye, however, acknowledge the role and place of individuality. That is, human beings do not only belong to the community, they are also self-expressive individuals. They position themselves as individuals within a community. Hence the nature of a person in an African setting is "amphibious", expressing aspects of community and individuality. The individuality of a person, I think, entails the freedom to choose to enter into a certain community and share its ideals. While many years ago a community could be recognised in a group of people who lived in one locality, the dawn of globalisation has set in motion a new dynamic. The notion of belonging has expanded and become more inclusive. Belonging bas crossed oceans and assumed new connections. Information Communication and Technology (ICT), has played a key role in this new understanding. With ICT the community one belongs to includes people one may never meet. Yet these people influence and impact on the lives of the people concerned. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Netlog have brought individuals together into communities at a click of a mouse or a touch of a screen. In this manner ICT has broken the walls of distance. It is no longer necessary to speak of communities based OD geographical locations since all the communities have been brought together into a single computer, lpad or Ipbone. Would it be true to describe the new communities in terms of which gadget one owns, which social network one identifies with or which search engine one uses?
It is tempting to lapse into nostalgia for the past days. These selective memories could include the long travels to visit with friends and family; the long discussions that ran deep into late nights. Quite understandably, people miss some of the personal relationships that existed and were sustained before the wave ofICT. However, other people may argue that our memories of the past do not accurately anticipate the needs of the future generations. Thus we should not presume that needs of the past and present generations will be the same as for the future generations. The dawn ofICT shows losses and gains which can be expressed in the construction or fragmentation of communities. It is clear, in terms of gains that the remoteness of the "other" has benefited from the speed and ease with which new technologies can afford to reach out to others. Since the "other" helps us learn and appreciate ourselves, ICT can be argued is the destruction of parochialism and its replacement by a broader and fuller humanity. Aristotle is of the view that the more we know the fully alive and human we become and thus ICT has a role to play in the enhancement of humanity. In Africa the relevance of ICT cannot be over-emphasised. There are millions of Africans in diaspora who can easily communicate and relate to their families and friends back in their Countries of origin. For this group of Africans, in the words of scripture, "hills and mountains have been laid low and valleys filled" by ICT. Without downplaying the importance ofICT, not every product has been beneficial. The internet has been used to initiate and wage wars and promote violence. The fundamental principles of morality have been shaken because of the easy accessibility of immoral information, for example pornography. To some extent humanity loses morality through ICT. On the evil that JCT is often accused of promoting, I argue that the buck stops with the users. ICT is only a tool, an instrument; the wrongful consequences of that technology should be blamed on the persons who appropriate it. ICT, in my opinion, is amoral and it is human beings and not gadgets who determine whether it will be used for moral or immoral ends. In this issue, contributors grapple with various discourses surrounding ICT and beyond. Augustine Perumalil traces the evolution of the arche from matter to information. He builds his debate from the ancients who sought for the fundamental principle of reality. The debate finds its way into reductivist materialism through quantum physics. For Perumalil, following quantum physicists, we cannot say reality is this or that, but we can affirm that the world as observed is a manifestation of the real. Information through ICT, away from mere materialism, points to the immnaterial ,aspect of reality. Thomas Sherman argues for ICT from the Aristotelian Tradition. He contends that ICT, if well utilised, can be a way of forming good friendships that enable humanity to grow towards eudemonia (happiness). With ICT we get more connected and hence we are in a position to be more alive and create good and sustainable communities. However, Sherman is not oblivious to the dangers iflCT is misused. The ICT debate is taken further by Evaristus Ekuemeka who argues that ICT can play a role in creating personalities. These personalities that evolve out of ICT are not necessarily negative. Ek:uemeka, however, warns that technology can be seductive especially when it plays on our vulnerabilities. Thus, instead ofICT binding together communities it can become a way of fragmenting and eventually destroying communities if we completely ignore the value of personal contact. In the era ofICT, it is possible for human beings to concentrate always on the outside. The world tends to be concentrated on "them". Ujah Ejembi thus argues that the central place of silence cannot be over-emphasised Silence, Ujah thinks, helps people to find meaning in themselves. But silence should not be used to intimidate nor should it be forced on a people, undermining their agency. Nanotechnology is a new advance in science. It is used in cancer researches and other varied ways in order to enhance human life. Armel Setubi gives a historical perspective demonstrating how this field is advancing and how it can be of use to Africa. Still focusing on Africa, Peter Omondi, explores the evolution of African identities and shows the dynamisms involved in creating these identities. In a debate that concerns human beings, the context within which humanity lives has to be taken into consideration. The environment is a common need for sustenance of human life. Thus Enyeribe Oguh argues that we cannot have any justification, even scriptural, to destroy the environment. He maintains that all humanity should come together for the conservation of the environment for the present and future generations. Still thinking ethically, Michael Ochieng evaluates the positions held by opponents and proponents of human reproductive cloning. On another level, Kizito Kiyimba explores epistemologically the role of religion in wars within the Great Lakes. He examines whether there is some quality in religion that fuels wars and violence. Surely there should be, considering its appeal to people and the vulnerability that ensue. For Kizito, religion is an epistemic alternative to politics. With all said and done, the common good has to be sought. Benjamin Nsegiyumva selectively uses Karl Max to argue for the common good. In Nsegiyumva's view, toidentify and establish a relationship with the "other'' is important for one's fullness. There is thus a need for a globalised recognition. While still seeking the common good, Olivier Sempiga contends that a willingness to enter into dialogue should play a role in harmonising the common good and individual liberty. On the whole, it is evident that the communjty and the individual are indispensable. Both are in turn necessary for the creation of any community whether it is a family, a district, a nation or the global virtual communities that we have been addressing in this introduction. Thus, so long as ICT enhances what it is good for the community and the individual it should be embraced. Further, there is a need for human beings to be open, yet remain critical, to the dynamics in history. Many thanks to our contributors for their insightful and varied reflections. My gratitude also goes to the editorial board for ics invaluable input. I welcome on board Nelson Nyamayaro, S.J, Kevin Oodo, S.J, Caswell Macbivenyika SJ, Lefani Mwanza Ocann and Ezekiel Manirakiza, SJ, Finally, I congratulate and wish well the next Editor-in-Chief Temple Anuforo, S .J.

Splendid reading! Asiavugwa, Cedric Galia, S.J