BarCamp Diaspora took place last Saturday July 25th in Washington DC and, for what we hear, it was a huge success! To prove it, here are a couple of short interviews by the multitalented Shara Karasic, who also live-tweeted the event.
The first interview is of one of the attendees, Frieda Obengapofo, who says:
All of us here, African-minded people, have a lot to give back. And we don't necessarily have to do it in the traditional way, we could give our skills, we could teach others what we have (knowledge-sharing)... We could also send money home and create all these small NGOs or partner with other NGOs already in existence, and make our continent much better.
Watch the whole thing here:
The second interview is with one of the organizers, the hyper-active Henry Barnor, who says that Africa needs to improve its research culture. The whole thing here:
The third interview is with one of the keynote speakers, Ashifi Gogo. He is CEO at Sproxil.com, a PhD Innovation Fellow at Dartmouth College, the Co-founder at mPedigree.org, and a 2009 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Here he talks about BarCamp Diaspora, mPedigree, and the future of scientific research in Ghana:
[Originally posted at Project Diaspora]
BarCamp Diaspora is coming up fast. For those of you living in our near DC sign up and join the conversation! Admission is free... What a DEAL!
When: July 25
Where: Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins
University, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Why: Investing Our Talents Where it Counts!
Who: Organized by GhanaThink
I was fortunate enough to have a chance to talk to Ato not only about BarCamp Diaspora, the first Barcamp intended to bring together Ghanians living in the diaspora and people interested in Africa, but also what it took to put on GhanaThink's first effort: BarCamp Ghana. Barcamp Diaspora is not about a keynote speech and big name speakers but instead about Ghanians who are doing interesting and innovative things worth discussion. It is for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. Which pretty much means anyone who is interested and has something to contribute to the conversation is welcome.
If you are interested in attending, Registation is FREE and you can sign up at the Barcamp Diaspora EventBright page.
Remember these events are only as good as the participants who engage with them. If you are planning to attend be ready to organize a breakout session, and be a part of what will make this Barcamp the best one yet! What to expect as Barcamp Breakout Organizer
These great folks all contributed to making BarCamp Ghana a great success and setting the bar for the next team. Plus check out your BarCamp Diaspora organizers! Be sure and let them know about your ideas and be ready to have an experience you won't forget!
Henry Barnor, Nii Simmonds, Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Shirley Somuah, Henry Addo, Kwesi Smith, Ashifi Gogo, Emmanuel Akrong, Worlali Senyo, Eugene Kofi Tandoh
Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Henry Barnor, Reginald Amoa, Seyram Avle, Christine Yieleh Chireh, Kobina Aidoo, Kwabena Amporful, Julia Mensah, Emmanuel Mensah, Abena Sackey, Nana Yaw Kwadade, Denise Twum, Emmanuel Akrong
On December 22, 2008, over a hundred young Ghanaians met in Accra for BarCamp Ghana '08 to exchanged ideas on entrepreneurship, innovation and development for a rising Ghana. This summer, the conversations move to Washington, DC to bring together the African Diaspora to exchange ideas on doing business in Africa.
Join us at BarCamp Diaspora '09, under the theme "Investing our talent where it counts".
When: July 25, 2009 from 12pm - 6pm
Where: Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins
University
1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
You may participate online at the conference website if you are not close to the Washington DC area.
A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking. Unlike a typical conference, at a BarCamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant. The content is provided by all attendees based on their interests, unified under the theme.
BarCamp Diaspora ’09 is a FREE event for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. It will provide a great opportunity for the African Diaspora to network and collaborate on projects.
Register/RSVP today at the BarCamp Diaspora website
http://www.barcampghana.org/barcampdiaspora09/register
Help spread the word about BarCamp Diaspora '09 by grabbing badges and support us by donating to keep the participation costs low. You may also contact us for sponsorship opportunities.
See you there!
For more info on this exciting event, visit the BarCamp Diaspora website, BarCamp Ghana Twitter, or the Facebook event.
Please support this event by using one of the badges here as your facebook profile picture.
