Mutumwa Mawere

We are privileged to live in a world that is more wired than in any previous generation.

The digital revolution is here to stay and any nation that finds itself excluded from this revolution faces the risk of suffering from a new form of poverty i.e. information poverty that has more devastating implications on human development and growth than biological hunger.

The web has and continues to shake world politics. The Internet has unleashed a new toolbox that can easily be used to bridge the knowledge divide that has made it easy for undemocratic regimes to thrive in many parts of the world.

It is true that the Internet is a potent weapon against any from of central control. It inspires solidarity and challenges and defies old notions of identity, nationalism and nation building.

Social cohesion is a critical factor in the enterprise of progressive, prosperous and sustainable nation building.

The few of us who are wired and have joined the virtual highway already appreciate the power of networking and its role in redrawing the map of the world, as we know it.

The virtual revolution provides an opportunity to people who believe in acting and yet poses a headache to those who want to control or engineer social development.

The genius of mankind lies in the fabric of life itself and more importantly in the embedded social capital.

Africa's politics, culture and society are shaped by its past with severe and debilitating limitations imposed by language, geography and race and ethnicity.

The relationship between the state and citizen is critical in determining the success or failure of any nation state.

Many virtual communities have been created and individuals continue to voluntarily join them and yet in the case of Africa we observe that many Africans would rather exit the social contract than be bound by the post-colonial social contract that condemns them as an economically, socially, cultural and politically powerless indigenous class.

The state can be a weapon of oppression but the virtual world is difficult or impossible to control.

It relies on the goodwill of the citizens and the explosion of the in the digital revolution has exposed the narrowness of concepts like indigenization and nationalism in creating viable social networks whether in form of nation states or communities.

Many repressive states have soon discovered that they cannot arrest the Internet and that people who are online are free to express themselves in a manner that would be considered to be subversive in physical states.

In the physical world that we line in, it is not unusual for governments to want to block or guide the opinions of citizens for nothing other than pure political expediency.

The voice of the state is weak on the Internet and yet the conversations that take place between Africans have yet to show a collective maturity in reinforcing the kind of belief system that is required for building a progressive Africa,

The virtual revolution has given us a new voice that transcends national borders but regrettably we have failed to use this power for good.

There is nothing that stops wired Africans from establishing institutions that can serve their needs.

The revolution has the power to redefine our identity as Africans as well as reshape our democracy and open new horizons.

The web does not respect national boundaries but can create a platform for greater understanding of the values, beliefs and principles that should inform our progress.

What is noticeable, however, is that the majority of the voices that inform the conversations on what kind of Africa we want to see are ruthless and conniving.

Repressive regimes are allergic to environments where information is free and accessible.

Many Africans have joined the various social networking platforms that are on the web without appreciating that the future architecture of the world is being framed each day they use this powerful instrument of human organization.

We take for granted the utility of the web and its role in reshaping the African story.

Through the web, we can set up our own preferred countries and decide who to include and whom to exclude. The passports and visas are granted by each one of us.

As I write this article, I could not help but refer to my space on facebook that has connections to 3,206 human faces in a total community of 350 million faces that are part of the facebook family.

Imagine that facebook has 350 million citizens who evidently have elected to voluntarily join this family.

If facebook were a country, for instance, it would rank as the third biggest nation state.

Such is the nature of building communities. What is the genius of facebook that countries like Zimbabwe that continues to lose people do not have?

As a member of facebook, I am and should be less concerned about who is the President or cabinet of the community than what I can get from sharing with my online cluster and yet in real life we define the success or failure of a country by its leaders.

The growth of platforms like facebook is pregnant with lessons to those among us who believe that to build a progressive nation, central authority and control is a pre-requisite.

The online communities represent an example of how rainbow nations can be created and exposes the counterproductive effects of nationalism.

With the facebook family, my family has only 3,206 as at today and I am privileged to be part of a resource that extends to 350 million people.

There is no doubt that if I had a business idea, I have access to this resource that would not be accessible to me.

This revolution has taken only 20 years to produce the kind of outcomes that enables us to have access to information and knowledge that can change Africa's destiny.

Africa hosts more poor people than rich people but what is remarkable is that the digital revolution is already making an impact on the few Africans who are wired. We now have platforms to negotiate our future and also share experiences.

How can we use this revolution to advantage? We know its power in terms of the social capital that it generates but have yet to connect the link between social networks and nation building.

Free societies encourage citizen ownership and action.

To whom do the online platforms belong? To whom does Africa belong? I should like to believe that the online platforms should belong to users in as much as Africa should belong to anyone who believes in Africa.

I have been able to expand my circle of friends beyond the typically African face and I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who are passionate about Africa but have no umbilical connection to it.

As a member of Africa Heritage Society www.africa-heritage.com and also a founder of an online community that seeks to invest in a new African identity www.myafriface.com I believe that the virtual revolution provides a window of opportunity to create our own community that can through visible projects and programs make a difference to the heritage of Africa.

What time is it? It is our time to use the power of technology to bridge the knowledge divide in Africa and in so doing the beneficiaries of ignorance will diminish by the day.