This September, Mozilla Festivaval’s House debut in Kenya will confront pressing realities at the intersection of emerging technology and the African continent, such as digital extractivism and AI governance.
Kenya is a regional adaptation of the Mozilla Festival, an annual convening for technologists, researchers, policymakers, activists, and others to explore topics related to a healthy internet and trustworthy AI.
It will embody Mozilla’s Africa Innovation Mradi work, facilitating spaces for diverse communities to gather and share knowledge, debate, and forge partnerships focused on the development and governance of digital technologies in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The event will take place from September 21 to 22 2023 at Nairobi’s Shamba House Café.
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“MozFest House Kenya is an unapologetic regional convening to speak truth to power around digital safety, digital rights, tech accountability, and overall, trustworthy AI in Africa. The festival is the premier gathering for activists, artists, technologists, and educators in diverse global movements fighting for a more humane and healthier digital world,” said Chenai Chair, Senior Program Officer Africa Mradi Mozilla.
“MozFest Kenya is a celebration of the work that’s happening locally to advocate and build inclusive and ethical technologies. Kenya is leading the way when it comes to local innovation and internet governance — and we want to contribute to that momentum,” said Sarah Allen, Senior Director of MozFest.
The event comes amid a critical tectonic shift, as Big Tech’s unchecked power clashes with the push for tech sovereignty across the continent.
Relentless tech workers in Kenya are fighting for healthier working conditions and better pay.
The fault lines of digital extractivism have entered the public conversation, drawing parallels between Big Tech’s role in Africa and colonial history.
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To cut the roots of these extractive practices, MozFest House: Kenya will engage in bold conversations and steadfast action to build more ethical, equitable, and humane technologies. Indeed, MozFest House Amsterdam earlier this year blazed the trail as the birthplace of the first Amsterdam covenant to protect young people online.
According to officials, MozFest House Kenya will feature over 20 sessions aligned under the theme “Mobilizing African Communities for Trustworthy AI.
” These interactive sessions will focus on critical issues in Eastern and Southern Africa, such as digital safety, digital rights, platform accountability, and the need for Internet governance.
It will also feature keynote addresses and panels from renowned voices across Eastern and Southern Africa — from tech policy experts to artists and activists to technologists.
There will also be exhibitions, demos, a hackathon, and other programming that brings to life the intersection of AI and the African continent.
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