BarCamp Swaziland, the first technology conference in the last absolute monarchy in Africa, is taking place in Mbabane, Swaziland, on June 27th, 2009. Swaziland recently created a new Ministry of ICT, and local technology is rapidly emerging. With 90% of the Swazi population within range of a mobile phone network, the first BarCamp Swaziland will be focused on mobile use. Local youth participate and report from the conference - conducting interviews and blogging. BarCamp Swaziland aims to encourage local technology by sharing best practices and building partnerships, as well as identifying Swazi technology interests and trends. YouthAssets, a non-profit focused on empowering youth in Southern Africa, is a main sponsor of the event.

BarCamp organizer Sabelo Dlamini, YouthAssets board member, says: “Organizing BarCamp Swaziland is quite an experience. Technology is just coming in to Swaziland. To have all the practitioners together in one place is going to spark new ideas – it will be a powerful event. The BarCamp will bring people together.”

For more info on the event, visit the BarCamp Swaziland blog, wiki, Twitter, or Facebook.