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Subject: Creative Commons Jurisdiction Teams in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Dorothy K. Gordon" <director-general AT aiti-kace.com.gh>
  • To: Tobias Schonwetter <tobias AT creativecommons.org>
  • Cc: simeon AT creativecommons.org, Claudio Ruiz <claudio AT creativecommons.org>, CC Africa mailing list <ccafrica AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ccAfrica] Farewell from the CC Africa RCs
  • Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2016 17:07:13 +0000 (GMT)

Dear Alex and Tobias, First let me thank you for your commitment and
dedication to CC and to Africa. It has been a privilege to get to know both
of you in this role. Your mail is a reminder of how much you have brought to
the movement. You have both worked tirelessly under difficult conditions.
Believe me when I say you are very much appreciated. I wish you all the best
in the many new roles which will open up to you. I will be transitioning out
of my role on the Board of CC as well as my work with AITI-KACE so I am
looking forward to embracing change.

warm regards to you both.

This email will be discontinued in a few days as I end my term with
AITI-KACE. Please write to support AT aiti-kace.com.gh or info AT aiti-kace.com.gh
for all aiti-kace related issues. For personal contacts please use
dkgxdgx AT gmail.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tobias Schonwetter" <tobias AT creativecommons.org>
To: "CC Africa mailing list" <ccafrica AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc: simeon AT creativecommons.org, "Claudio Ruiz" <claudio AT creativecommons.org>
Sent: Friday, 2 December, 2016 10:00:22 AM
Subject: [ccAfrica] Farewell from the CC Africa RCs



Dear colleagues and friends:


as some of you may already know, Alex and I will be stepping down as regional
coordinators for CC in Africa at the end of this month. Being the RCs for
Africa has never been just a job for us but a real privilege and honor, and
indeed a unique opportunity to support what CC stands for and aims to achieve
in light of what is needed in Africa. During our tenure we have helped
creating new and reviving some existing CC teams in strategically important
regions of our continent in accordance with our own anchor country strategy,
and more recently we intensified our efforts to build even more country teams
to generally increase traction of CC on African soil. We also focussed on
developing a system for future translations (something that will become
increasingly important in the future we think to reach those in Africa who
are not fluent in English); moreover, we tried to connect African affiliates
with each other and with their global peers, and we also tried to support
local activities as much as we could (sometimes financially, sometimes
strategically - or both).


But maintainig and growing an active, vibrant CC community in Africa remains
a challenge. We are still underrepresented with only 7 country teams in
sub-Saharan Africa, and we particularly lack activities in francophone Africa
and in Southern Africa (outside of South Africa). We didn’t manage to
organise a regional meeting for too long (although plans exist to have a
proper one during the next Global Summit in Toronto in 2017); and we also
realise that most of you are stretched beyond capacity which makes commiting
time to CC difficult at times (and perhaps more difficult than elsewhere).
Sometimes, we haven’t succeeded in making clearer that CC is not primarily
about copyright law (an issue not very high on many domestic agendas in
Africa) but about the much much more fundamental goal of creating inclusive
societies with equal access and participation opportunities in cultural and
educational activities, among other things. As such CC remains crucially
important for Africa.


It is now time, we feel, that something else is tried to increase CC’s
footprint in Africa and globally. From the outset, the regional coordinator
system had its weaknesses, including the fact that it created a
middle-(wo)men structure between affiliates teams and HQ. But it was felt
when we were appointed that this was needed to sufficiently cater for
cultural, ethnic, economic and developmental differences between different
regions. And sure enough, we often felt in our conversations with our RC
colleagues that needs, concerns, interests and simply the way CC “business"
is conducted by affiliates differs, especially between the Global North and
the Gobal South. It was our job in the past to raise these issues with CC HQ
to ensure these differences were adequately taken into account. However,
based on the recommendations of the CC Steering Committee, CC will soon
embark on a laudable process to " create a stronger, more active and engaged
[global] community”. And CC is already putting systems in place to ensure
that voices from all regions are heard and that CC HQ staff is trained and
supported to think truly globally (see the appointments of Claudio Ruiz from
Chile as Director of Ecosystems and Simeon Oriko as Network Manager). It is
our (all of us) responsibility to support them in their difficult task ahead.


Alex and I are long-time Creative Commoners and while we step back from our
positions as RCs we will of course continue to do this important work in our
respective countries - and together with you and our global peers.


It has been a real pleasure to serve as your Regional Coordinators!


Talk soon.


Tobias ( tobiasschonwetter AT gmail.com ) and Alex ( gakuru AT gmail.com )


---
Dr. Tobias Schonwetter
Regional Coordinator: Africa
Creative Commons

twitter: @tobyschonwetter









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