The super-cool people behind last year’s Geekyoto event in London are planning a tech/Africa/development conference April 25th. I’m going. Here’s why, though my reasoning is slightly inverted. The tech I get, I want to work on how we apply it to issues in developing regions. From Edward Scotcher:

I’ve had a few people get in touch over the last few days asking if they should come to Africa Gathering or not – mainly because Africa Gathering’s basis is a tech/Africa event and potential attendees may not be focusing on technology. My attitude is quite simple – technology is part of out lives whether we like it or not and we are only growing more reliant on it. Whatever your organisation does, remember that the reasons this event is a ‘gathering’ is that it’s a chance for everyone to come and meet each other. Small businesses and charities need to be connected to technologists and entrepreneurs to help them build effective services and geeks needs ideas and inspiration in order to help push the boundaries of innovation. We all have something to offer each other – we just don’t know it yet.

and

Aid has always puzzled me, because many people are sitting around in ‘the west’ coming up with ideas to help people in developing countries. I commend them, but do we ask the guys in the countries that are receiving that aid what they want? What they need? I think we’d be better to ask them, and then use our skills and experience to help them work towards solutions to their problems – the only issue is: are we willing to help without wanting fame or fortune?

Africa Gathering will be a collection of those people. People who have been and asked what people in developing countries need. People who have used their time and energy trying something out, to see if it’d work using new technology or working with new concepts using technology. After all, collaboration is just educating each other – and education is the key to actually being able to do something useful that makes a difference.

Still a few tickets left. Come.