Computers and Internet in Burundi I.

  1. Posted on Wednesday 8 August 2007 - 23:45
    Sarah Harting
    Image of Sarah Harting
    8 August 2007, by Sarah Harting in Bujumbura, Burundi. Four of my friends in Bujumbura are students in informatica, two of them have their own laptop, a gift from a friend or relative outside Africa, the others have to learn without a computer. The university has 30 computers for its students, in the last year only there are 100 students. Most of these computers don’t work, and are not being repaired, and they are shared with another university in Bururi, in the south of Burundi. This means that from time to time the 7 still working computers are send to Bururi, or the students in Bururi have to go to Bujumbura to use a computer. Some of the students in the fourth year don’t know how to turn on the computer.
    One of the students told me that donating computers to the university wouldn’t be of big help. The university would probably use those computers to create a cybercafé and make some money.
    But cybercafé’s are to be found in Bujumbura and other cities. In the centre, but also outside are many cybercafé’s and of a quality that is not bad at all. Most computers have Windows XP, a good screen and a working mouse. Considering the number of Burundians I have met on the net, I’d say that for many it’s affordable, the cheapest I’ve seen being 10 FBU (€ 0,007) a minute (in the morning, after 10h it’s 20 FBU). The connection is all right, not much slower then what I had 5 years ago in Holland. So far I have been able to connect my own laptop everywhere with an ethernet cable, but there are enough computers, between 5 and 15 working in each café.
    In Ngozi (north of Burundi) as well there are several cybercafé’s with a connection that is good. I haven’t seen overcrowded places yet, there’s often a computer free, and I haven’t seen any people waiting.
    Bujumbura also has some wireless spots, one of them in Novotel, others also in my area, all of them secured with a password.
    To have Internet at home (ADSL) is possible where I live, in Kinindo in the south of Bujumbura, one of the richer areas, and costs at least 50.000 FBU (€ 35) a month, and another 50.000 FBU to have it installed.\n\n

Reactions

  1. Posted on Thursday 09 August 2007 12:33
    nyirinono
    Image of nyirinono

    Maria Assumpta Nyirinono
    6 berichten
    Lid sinds July 2007
    Amsterdam

    I am impressed by your survey of the Internet in Burundi. I am also shocked by the situation of the informatics students. 30 pcs for two universities is not acceptable especially when only 7 of them are in the state of being used!

    Who can do what? I think the gvt of Burundi has other urgent businesses like resettling refugees, fighting famine etc. When I see the computers and other ICT devices thrown away here in the West because they are just 2 or 3 years old or simply because they want to test Vista, I think of those poor students and professors who would enjoy them and take advantage of them. But knowing what the transport costs would be ($1,500 per container from Rotterdam to Dare es Salaam), plus duty fees, plus Dar es Salaam->Bujumbura transport etc, I renounce the idea of organising such a "humanitarian" project. But it is something feasible.

    Your title was "Computers and Internet in Burundi I". Are we expecting a continuation?
  2. Posted on Monday 13 August 2007 07:53
    florence
    Image of florence


    1 berichten
    Lid sinds August 2007

    hello Sarah, I hope everything is going on well in Burundi, I just came back from holidays and read your articles, keep us infomed about the situation over there, it's very interesting, hope to hear from you very soon,
    Florence