Development of a localized e-commerce for music using indigenous knowledge - a South African experience

This paper presents a project currently underway in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The project is aimed at providing solutions for underprivileged and disadvantaged communities, to help solve some of their needs by creating localized computer-based solutions based on indigenous knowledge. This would help bridge the digital divide, as these computer solutions are closer to the local users. The project entails studying the community in question and understanding their way of life and then develop software solutions that use features that they are familiar with and use their language. The project asks the community to partake in the development of the solution and then reap benefits from whatever revenue stream the project would enable. An added benefit is that we should be able to preserve the cultural aspects of the community while bringing forth best class modernity. Key areas that the project affects are: education, music, artworks, written or documented history etc. Younger as well as future generations have a chance to be inventive, innovative and hopefully become the future developers and develop their own software solutions