Internet training with no power and network

This is my first posting from an internet training for journalism lecturers organized for the coming three days at Dar es Salaam School Journalism along Uhuru Street in Ilala, Dar es Salaam. We have started the training this morning with some challenges, such as no power, no generator, no internet connection, and in some cases not functioning computers. This is sometimes still a common situation in Tanzania, but usually things get solved later-on. Even in our case, we got the power back already in the morning, and at the time of writing, IT experts Deus and George are working to connect a faster wireless connection to all computers.

This intensive training is part of a wider internet training programme for Tanzanian journalists and journalism lecturers co-arranged by MISA Tanzania and Vikes – The Finnish Foundation for Media and Development, a solidarity organization of the Union of Journalists in Finland, with support from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The training is the second internet training arranged specifically for journalism tutors in Tanzania and already the 40th internet training course arranged within the training programme which has been running since 2008.

Other previous internet courses have focused on editors from national mainstream media as well as radio producers, local reporters and also journalism lecturers in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mbeya, Mwanza and Zanzibar.

During the last five years, separate Swahili-language training courses have also been arranged for local reporters and regional correspondents in fifteen locations around the country, namely Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Kigoma, Mbeya, Morogoro, Moshi, Mtwara, Musoma, Mwanza, Njombe, Pemba, Shinyanga, Songea and Sumbawanga. These trainings have been conducted by a group of dedicated Tanzanian trainers who have been trained especially for that purpose as part of this same programme.

Now, at this internet journalism training at Dar es Salaam School of Journalism, there are 13 lecturers and tutors from four journalism colleges located in Dar es Salaam.

We are all packed into an ICT student lab on fifth floor with natural ventilation through the windows, allowing us to also hear the traffic noise from downstairs and a stubborn cock crowing even though it is already afternoon and lunch time.

More about the proceedings of the first training day later.