Mozilla Festival House Zambia: Shaping a Future of Trustworthy AI in Africa
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- 18 Nov 2024
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The Mozilla Festival House is set to open its doors in Zambia on November 20-21 at the Lusaka International Convention Center. This event will bring together a diverse array of voices from Africa and around the world, including technologists, artists, activists, funders, policymakers, and researchers, all united under the theme of “Collective Action for Trustworthy AI.” The festival aims to showcase the power of collaboration in creating a responsible, trustworthy, and inclusive digital future.
MozFest House events are regional adaptations of the annual Mozilla Festival, which focuses on digital rights and trustworthy AI from local perspectives. Following its successful debut in Nairobi last year, MozFest House returned to the Netherlands in June 2023, and now it is making its way to Zambia.
This year, Mozilla Festival is collaborating with Visa as the Presenting Sponsor and the Skoll Foundation as the showcase sponsor. These partnerships aim to champion innovative solutions to pressing challenges related to digital rights, trustworthy AI, and equitable access to technology.
Featured Speakers and Sessions
The event will feature several mainstage plenaries, including a keynote address by Angela Oduor Lungati, Executive Director of Ushahidi, who will discuss the role of AI and emerging technologies in serving Africa’s diverse communities. Other notable speakers include:
- Dr. Chitundu Kasase, CEO of the National Technology Business Center (NTBC)
- Tendai Miti, Executive Director of Sistah Sistah
- Granville Wood, Director of Open Energy Labs
- Priscilla Chomba-Kinywa, Chief Technology Officer at Greenpeace
Highlights of MozFest House Zambia
i. Mainstage Dialogue & Debates: Engaging panels will address urgent issues at the intersection of technology and society. One such panel, “Whose Gig Economy Is It Anyway,” will take place on November 20 at 2:20 PM Central Africa Time and will be live-streamed on YouTube.
ii. Lightning Talks: A series of four 15-minute talks will explore the intersection of technology with art and culture, climate justice, disability justice, gender justice, and philanthropy.
iii. Interactive Sessions and Workshops: Over 20 interactive sessions will delve into critical themes, including:
- Co-Create, Code, Care: A session focused on building survivor-centered AI for post-violence care, featuring the Zuzi chatbot designed to support survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
- Responsible AI for Agriculture: This workshop will explore equitable technology adoption in agriculture, drawing insights from AI-driven AgriTech projects.
iv. Data Futures Lab Showcase: Mozilla’s Data Futures Lab will highlight projects from across Africa that prioritize community needs, showcasing alternative licenses and consent tools for community-created datasets.
Koliwe Majama, Senior Program Officer, emphasizes that MozFest House Zambia is more than just a gathering; it is a call to action. “It’s a collective moment to reflect on how we can build and transform Africa’s digital future together, centering the diversity of communities and especially unheard voices,” she states.
For over two decades, Mozilla has invested in visionary ideas and people-centered campaigns to ensure the Internet remains open and accessible to all. Past MozFest participants have included notable figures such as Tim Berners-Lee, Angela Davis, and Mona Chalabi.
In summary, MozFest House Zambia represents a significant opportunity to engage with pressing issues surrounding technology and society, fostering connections between global experts and grassroots changemakers. The event underscores Africa's vital role in shaping an ethical, inclusive, and people-centered digital future, reinforcing the importance of collective action in addressing the challenges posed by emerging technologies.
