The wireless camel; Effects and meaning of the mobile phone in Sudan

During this seminar I am going to present a short (20-minute) documentary by Sjoerd Sijsma and myself about the introduction of the mobile phone in Sudan, specifically in Karima, Khartoum and Juba. We made this film as part of a research project that we (Inge Brinkman, Hisham Bilal and Peter Taban Wani and I) did in Sudan between August and December 2007 on the invitation of Celtel/Zain, an international telephone company that is active in various parts of Africa. The documentary shows some of the first findings of the research but during the seminar I will explain more about the effect and meaning of the mobile phone in Sudan and place it in the historical context of the introduction of various communication technologies in Sudan. I also plan to touch on the ethical issues involved when doing research funded by a commercial company.

You are all very welcome. Please bring your own lunch.