By Muhammed Bello Buhari | August 8, 2024
From June 11 to 13, the live edition of MozFest House took place in Amsterdam for the second time. This iconic tech festival gathered experts in technology, journalism, activism, and art under the theme “Togetherness and Solidarity” to discuss pressing issues such as responsible AI, disinformation, and the future of democracy. For over a decade, Mozilla Festival has provided a platform for experts and activists to discuss these challenges and work toward more responsible applications of AI technology.
At this year’s MozFest House Amsterdam, our Founder and Chief Strategist, Esther Mwema, a Mozilla Creative Media Awardee, contributed to the panel discussion titled “Revealing the Internet’s Invisible Footprint.” The session, enriched by diverse perspectives from panelists including Maya Richman from Green Screen Coalition, Benoit Courty from CodeCarbon, and Lea Wulf from Mercator, was moderated by Xavier Harding from Mozilla. This diverse panel underscored the intersection of technology, colonial legacies, and digital futures. Esther’s insights provided invaluable context into the systemic issues affecting our digital landscape, emphasising the need for decolonising digital infrastructure and addressing environmental and socio-economic inequities.
Esther remarked, “MozFest House was a great outlet to share how power in the digital space is embedded in the infrastructure we use. This power is rooted in colonial and patriarchal systems that exclude the global majority. The session removed the veil on how these systems work and started to imagine possible futures where we don’t have to rely on big tech infrastructure to stay connected.”
Decolonizing Digital Infrastructure:
In her discussion, Esther read an extract from a book by Everisto Benyera, contextualizing the conversation about technology and its impact on the climate. She emphasized that the issues we’re facing with digital infrastructure and its environmental impact are not new. This concept of colonizing space and resources has deep historical roots, particularly in Africa.
“The reason why Africa was described as a tabula rasa, an empty slate, is because notwithstanding the existence of many African civilisations prior to Europeans’ arrival in Africa, for the European coloniser only European civilisation essentially meant civilisation. Hence the notion of colonialism as a civilising mission. Coming from a different civilisation and a different cosmology, one can be forgiven for concluding that places where there were no household dwellings were actually empty, unowned, and uninhabited lands. Africa’s forest were misconstrued as empty lands. The truth is that those areas, forests, and places had inhabitants. Those were also the places where African ancestors and the ancestral spirits dwelled – hence the notion of forests as sacred spiritual dwelling places for the spirits. Colonialism was therefore a double jeopardy for Africa because it colonised the land of the living living and also the land of the living dead, the ancestral spirits. Having been described as empty, unowned, and unoccupied lands, Africa was open for colonisation. The same template is today being used for Africa’s cyberspace and other online spaces for which there is an ongoing scramble in order to occupy and control. Tech companies from Euro-North America, China, and Japan are jostling to gain a foothold and dominate Africa’s cyberspace.”
Esther connected this historical perspective to the modern-day digital divide. She questioned the cost of bridging this divide and who claims to “civilise” or bring civilization to the so-called uncivilised. She highlighted the ongoing struggle to occupy and control African cyberspace by tech companies from Europe, North America, China, and Japan.
The Digital Divide and Technological Imagination:
Esther’s discussion pointed out that the current digital infrastructure continues to be shaped by colonial histories, influencing who benefits from technological advancements. She posed a critical question: “At what cost are we bridging the digital divide?” Esther emphasized that while bridging this divide is essential, it is equally important to consider who is shaping our digital future and whose values are being imposed.
“We’re currently living in the imagination of Silicon Valley, shaping the technology we use today. This goes way deeper into the infrastructure, affecting our languages, how we relate to the planet, and how we relate to each other through technology.”
Esther underscored the importance of recognising the underlying power dynamics in the digital space, which are often perpetuated by colonial and patriarchal systems. She stressed that addressing these issues requires a collective effort to rethink and redesign digital infrastructure in a way that prioritises inclusivity, transparency, and local empowerment.
The Carbon Footprint and Technological Inequities:
In the second part of her discussion, Esther turned her attention to the environmental impact of tech industry practices, particularly focusing on the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure. She criticised the commodification of carbon offsets, arguing that it obscures the real issue of an entrenched system of exploitation and profit that perpetuates environmental harm.
Esther highlighted the case of Google and Meta’s undersea cables, noting their historical and contemporary significance. These cables, essential for global internet connectivity, are reminiscent of colonial telegraph cables. She emphasised that the control over these cables by big tech companies reflects a continuation of colonial power dynamics, with private interests often overriding public welfare.
She also discussed how the infrastructure is built around Africa, leading to additional costs for local companies and further environmental impact. This lack of regulation and transparency means that the full extent of the impact on local communities and ecosystems remains hidden. Esther raised concerns about the implications of future infrastructure projects, such as Google’s planned fiber optic cable cutting through critical mineral-rich regions in Africa, which could lead to displacement and environmental degradation.
Conclusion
The insights shared at MozFest House Amsterdam underscore the need for a critical examination of how digital infrastructure and technologies impact global inequalities and environmental justice. As Digital Grassroots continues its mission to promote digital citizenship and advocate for an inclusive digital future, these discussions provide crucial context for understanding and addressing the systemic issues at play.
Digital Grassroots remains committed to fostering dialogue on these critical issues, leveraging insights from such panels to drive meaningful change and advocate for a more equitable digital world.
Watch the full panel discussion here.