Uses of the electronic mail in Bamako, Mali. An anthropological approach

Béatrice Steiner, Graduate Institute of Developpment, University of Geneva

The subject of our research project is the use of electronic mail in Bamako, Mali. This project is based on a two-fold approach: on one side, an analysis of this media (what representations does it convey?) and on the other side, an on site observation of the way people use electronic mail. Our final goal is to understand the link between the electronic mail and its users.
Today, one of the main issues for Africa is to break its seclusion by reducing the digital gap. This would make its integration in global economy and information society much easier. Mali, West Africa, is very much involved in trying to make the digital gap smaller every day. Numerous projects and contributions to the development of new information and communication technologies are taking place in different areas: health, agriculture, business, political leadership and so on.
In spite of government’s positive attitude to the many possibilities related to the NICT, their implementation remains difficult. Some social actors sometimes offer conscious or unconscious resistance to the NICT, as well as biased uses of what the NICT were initially intended for.
It is absolutely necessary to take into account the cultural dimension of the use of the NICT in order to improve their impact on the development of Mali. This statement proves how important it is for researchers to use an anthropological approach and not only technical, economical and political means of evaluation.
The objective of this PhD research is then to observe and analyse on a “micro” level the way Internet users use the electronic mail in their daily life, depending on the different cultural paradigms of the country. Why is the electronic mail used? For what? To whom ? When ? When is it not used ? Is every social class allowed to use this media ? What consequences could have the results of this research on mesures taken by the Mali gouvernment in order to bridge the digital divide? Our observation is based on three main issues:

• The way users choose / create their email address and their password
• The way users manage their email:
      o password management
      o Gender issue.
• The place of email among the other media in Mali

Although it is contacted as a PhD thesis, this research will contribute to influence public policies geared to popularising the Internet in Mali. For that matters, we are already assured that numerous academics and officials have a genuine interest in it and are eager to collaborate and take part of it.

During our first fieldwork in January 2004, we were able to confirm our initial research assumptions and build our interview guidelines. Moreover, this first visit to Bamako allowed us to get in touch with political, economic actors, and users of the NICT. Indeed, close collaboration and partnership has been planned with Mr Daouda Diakité, Mr Yam Diallo and Mr Ousmane Bamba during our next two visits in Mali (8 months altogether). Moreover, we have agreed to work in partnership with Mr Mody Sissoko, Communication sociology professor in Bamako University, as well as with his students. We have also agreed that I would give an introduction course to the development of new technologies during my visits.


Addresses of the research partners

M. Mody Sissoko
Socio-anthropologue
Faculté des lettres, des arts, d’anthropologie et des sciences humaines (FLASH)
Université de Bamako
Bamako
Rép. du Mali

Tél : 00223/ 612. 14. 02
E-mail : sissoko_mody@yahoo.fr


M. Daouda Diakité
Directeur de l’Institut des Technologies appliquées (ISTA)
Route de Lafiabougou
ZONE ACI 2000
BP 3123
BAMAKO
Tél : + 223 2 29 01 54
Fax : + 223 2 29 32 66
E-mail : diakite@technolab.com.ml

M. Ousmane Bamba
Coordinateur national pressenti du projet « CMC au Mali » mené par l’UNESCO
E-mail : ousmane_bamba@hotmail.com



Adresse à l’université de Genève

Institut universitaire d’études du développement
M. Gilbert Rist
20, rue Rothschild
CP 136
1211 Genève 21
Suisse
E-mail : Gilbert.Rist@iued.unige.ch