Presently curated and organized by Emeka Okafor, Henry Barnor and Jennifer Wolfe, Maker Faire Africa is an
international organization
An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...
co-founded by Mark Grimes (Felonious Nun) Emeka Okafor (TED Africa), Lars Hasselblad Torres (IDEAS Global Challenge),
Erik Hersman
Erik Hersman (born 1975) is a technologist, blogger and commentator who specialises in the impact and application of technology throughout Africa. Raised in Sudan and Kenya, he is a graduate of Kenya's Rift Valley Academy and Florida State Unive ...
(Afrigadget) and Nii Simmonds (Nubian Cheetah). Maker Faire Africa aims to engage with on-the-ground breakthrough organizations and individual makers to sharpen focus on locally generated, bottom-up prototypes of technologies that solve immediate challenges to development.
Overview
The aim of a Maker Faire Africa is to create a space on the African continent where Afrigadget-type innovations, inventions and initiatives can be sought, identified, brought to life, supported, amplified and propagated. At the same time, ''Maker Faire Africa'' would seek to imbue creative types in science and technology with an appreciation of fabrication and by default manufacturing.
The first Maker Faire Africa was in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
in 2009. The second phase was held in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
,
Kenya
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in 2010, the third in Cairo in 2011, the fourth in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
, the fifth abroad (Istanbul, Milan, New York City) and the sixth in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
.
References
Images
File:Innovative traffic-light.jpg, Innovative traffic-light, Nairobi, 2010
File:Maker Faire Africa in Nairobi.jpg, Maker Faire Africa, Nairobi, 2010
File:Sisal Twinner Machine.jpg, Sisal Twinner Machine, Nairobi, August 2010
Image:2011 Cairo MakerFaireAfrica 6219569246.jpg, Cairo, October 2011
Image:2011 Cairo MakerFaireAfrica 6223961341.jpg, Cairo, 2011
Further reading
* Ariel Schwartz.
Creative Gadgets Dominate Maker Faire Africa" Fast Company, Aug 27, 2010
External links
{{commons category, Maker Faire Africa
Maker Faire AfricaMakerfaireafrica BlogAfrigadgetNed.com
* Flickr
Maker Faire Africa 2010
* Flickr
Maker Faire Africa 2010 -Nairobi
* Flickr
Cairo, Maker Faire Africa Day 3, Oct-2011
See also
* Creative problem solving
Creative problem-solving (CPS) is the mental process of searching for an original and previously unknown solution to a problem. To qualify, the solution must be novel and reached independently. The creative problem-solving process was originally de ...
* Theories of technology
Theories of technological change and innovation attempt to explain the factors that shape technological innovation as well as the impact of technology on society and culture. Some of the most contemporary theories of technological change reject ...
* Ecoinnovation
* Information revolution
The term information revolution describes current economic, social and technological trends beyond the Industrial Revolution.
Many competing terms have been proposed that focus on different aspects of this societal development.
The British polymat ...
* Invention
* Knowledge economy
* Open Innovation
Open innovation is a term used to promote an information age mindset toward innovation that runs counter to the secrecy and silo mentality of traditional corporate research labs. The benefits and driving forces behind increased openness have bee ...
International organizations based in Africa
Recurring events established in 2009
Appropriate technology organizations
Scientific organizations based in Africa
International economic organizations