Technology and Townships

Yesterday was so cool! Carolyn and I were invited to a corporate workshop, cleverly entitled Idea Maker, that challenged everyone in the room to consider the relationships between technology and small businesses in townships. Though well outside my realm of expertise, I was eager to hear more about township life and culture. After quick introductions, the 20 participants were divided into two groups and asked to circle around two tables. Once there, we took turns flipping, reading, and discussing roughly 20 sequential info. cards, strategically placed top to bottom. The cards themselves offered invaluable insight and statistics into small business owners’ lives, including their goals and priorities, their feelings/ concerns about technology (apps and services), and the reasons why success was so difficult. 

Surrounded by super smart, interesting people – three Cape Town business owners, two University of Cape Town Sociology professors, two marketing business consultants, and two NGO directors, I felt equally intimidated and curious. The discussion was instantly thought-provoking, as each and every person weighed in on very big questions/ problems. The card set-up was also very effective, forcing us to see patterns that we might not have seen otherwise. And after only a few minutes of taking it in, I threw my hat in from an educator’s perspective. Responding to one person’s point about older township members’ natural distrust of technology, I asked whether students could serve as a more suitable inroad for that type of growth. Especially if children could then educate their parents and grandparents as to the functions and benefits of certain Apps, why not start from that angle? Another group member then asked how we could make something go viral, so that small business owners could be made aware of the power of Apps. To that question, one of the two women in our group who had grown up in a township responded firmly: “Remember, these people are just trying to survive; they’re also aware of the fact that visible devices are expensive and readily stolen.” Most of us had not even thought about that. She then went on to enlighten everyone on what township cultural hierarchy meant: “If the people with power and respect in the community don’t verbally support technology, it goes nowhere.” Clearly, speaking with them first is imperative. We then devoted a few awesome minutes to discussing ways that kids, as integral and techno-savvy members of the community, could bridge the gap between resistant community leaders and business owners and technology-friendly systems. As we arrived at the end of the card castle formation, we had developed a much clearer sense of township life and the plight of any business owner in that environment. In fact, as another person acknowledged, “survival obviously trumps (sour verb, sorry) initiative, so technology has to be more accessible and friendlier to townships business owners if we expect them to use it.” Another great point. 

Returning to our seats, my mind reeled. What a mind-boggling problem that South Africa was trying to tackle! I had made a few reasonable points about the potential role of education, which were thankfully well received, but that was only a small piece to a colossal puzzle. Without far more education and reliable technology, which has to move through the proper cultural channels, our ideas would be nothing more than good intentions. Just as technology has transformed healthcare around the world, bringing education and supplies to millions who previously lacked them, we all believed that it could greatly improve the standard of living for hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged Cape Townians. We all shook hands on the way out, thanking each other for a great experience, and keenly aware of the immensity of the challenge. At least we got a good start!