Buzzwords of African Tech 2009

In preparation for Barcamp Africa I’ve collected a list of words and phrases that I think will define African tech in 2009. They’re definitely words to watch out for at Barcamp Africa! Some of it I’ve heard in use, others I made up:

2009 Buzzwords

bushcode – code that may not be the right way or the best way but it works. ex “It’s bushcode but it works!”
muxtionary – people who go to developing countries to promote technology (instead of religion like a missionary would). Play on the word ‘mux‘
Localization – compiling software in niche local languages for Africa and developing countries around the world
afripreneur – entrepreneurs in Africa
afritech – technology and innovations from Africa
afrofiles or afrophiles – tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and software developers in Africa
bar stamp – the impression left on ones face after staying up all night working on on a barcamp presentation and falling asleep on the keyboard
MTNiens – MTN employees who lurk on forums and mailing-lists to thwart potentially bad PR
SIP – session initiation protocol
afrikonomics or africonomics – economic properties unique to African countries
sino – things related to China
Mwendian – the philosophy of supporting investment in African countries over aid

Locations
SiliconCape – Capetown, South Africa’s nickname for hub of tech companies (thanks Charl!)
SiliconRift – Nickname for the growing hub of tech and software companies from the East Africa Rift Valley. Centrally located in Nairobi, Kenya
sSAfrica – Tweetspeak for Sub-Saharan Africa; alternatively sSA

Phrases
“…like laying fibre in Africa.” – simile for doing anything complicated. ex “Getting to Dakar from Toronto is like laying fibre in Africa!”
“…when the cable gets here.” – Sarcasm used to denote that something will take a ridiculously long time. ex. ‘That’ll happen when the cable gets here!’
TIA – “This is Africa.” used when something can’t easily be explained. Inspired by DiCaprio’s role in Blood Diamond
“bandwidth is the new oil” – the philosophy that access to the internet is the new precious commodity in the world

Other tech words that will inevitably be tossed around a lot at conferences: SMS, GPRS, MMS, Mesh Networking, Micro-Messaging, undersea cable, fibre, optic

If you’ve heard some or want to add your own, just comment below.

Note (added 11/10/08): pocket-sized flyers with these words were passed out at Barcamp Africa. If you received one, thanks for visiting the site and let’s see how much use these words get in 2009.

Words Overheard at Barcamp Africa
reaspora – People of the African diaspora returning to the continent
big “G” and little “g” – Big government versus little governemnt
technothority – leaders of the tech field