From Zambia: In the Age of Information

Photo courtesy Edward Silva

We are in the age of information, and there is no better place to see this than here in Lusaka, Zambia. It is displayed on every single kiosk, storefront, and even so many of the very daring street vendors who literally walk between moving traffic to sell “talk-time.” This sign of the demand for information comes in three main colors: green, red, and yellow. These colors correspond to the three main communications and internet providers here in Lusaka Zambia, which are Zamtel, Airtel, and MTN. It doesn’t take you long to see how these companies, most of which are no more than 15 years old, have swept through Zambia. And why? People want information. They want to talk, text, listen to music, email their colleagues, learn how to fix their car, and gather information that before 1991, and their switch to democracy and capitalism, was not so readily available. And in a mere 21 years, these companies have literally stamped their advertisement, service, and names into every Zambian village, community, and language.

This infrastructure, or many times lack of, has been like blood to the veins of the SMART Light. Between trying call people to set up meetings, setting up our own internet, buying, sharing, and running out of talk time, we have felt the power that communicative forces play in terms of getting things done. This of course brings many benefits and challenges for people, and a lot of transitions in what were once staple economic activities. Taxi drivers have to work a lot harder to secure regular calling clients because so many people are now connected. Fruit vendors now have access to more produce with a single call, but now also have more competition because many people can now make that very same call.

With the SMART Light, we are coming across the same question everywhere we go: does your light charge a phone? This need for connectivity, an addiction strong enough to rival caffeine in the U.S, has inched its way to be as important, if not more so, than the near-basic need of lighting. This has presented some challenges in our venture, but also has opened doors for new opportunities and perspective ways in which we can better position the SMART Light. We no doubt believe and feel it is a quality light, with many benefits that go far beyond simply lighting. And now the task at hand is to communicate this information and value, as effectively we can, into Zambian household. The age of information.

Edward Silva & Bryan Pon, UC Davis