Sauti ya wakulima, 2011-Present
Interactive installation
The project Sauti ya wakulima (The voice of the Farmers) is based on a fundamental hypothesis: that agricultural knowledge, shared and defended as a common good, can help farmers to resist the onslaught of climate change. But how can networks be set up for the reciprocal exchange of knowledge between famers? What function can digital technologies perform in such an undertaking? Since 2011, Sauti ya wakulima has set out to explore these questions, inviting groups of farmers who live and work in different regions of Tanzania to produce and share audiovisual records of their daily practices.
By means of smartphones and a website, the project’s participants have created a collaborative knowledge base with more than 3,000 images and voice recordings. They have documented and published their knowledge about plants and techniques of adaptation to climate changes, together with their need and aspirations, on the Internet.
And, starting with a process of technology adoption, they have used the tools available
to them as instruments of socialisation, thus reinforcing the mutual support networks that, in difficult times, can help them to confront adversity. Everyone can visit Sauti ya wakulima at http://sautiyawakulima.net
Original participants: Abdallah Jumanne, Mwinyimvua Mohamedi, Fatuma Ngomero, Rehema Maganga, Haeshi Shabani, Renada Msaki, Hamisi Rajabu, Ali Isha Salum, Imani Mlooka, Sina Rafael
Coordinator: Hamza Suleyman
Scientific Counsel: Angelika Hilbeck (ETH Zurich), Flora Ismail (University of Dar es Salaam)
Direction and programming: Eugenio Tisselli
