Damaria Senne, a blogger and journalist from Johannesburg, gave this morning’s keynote address, setting the DCI ball officially rolling.

She discussed what is going to be one of the key themes at this year’s Digital Citizen’s Indaba: how do you empower a true “digital citizen”?

The argument has always been – and I agree – that digital citizens are a privileged niche: those people with access to the relevant technologies, the Internet or a WAP-enabled phone. This eventually becomes a very costly undertaking, whether it’s paying your broadband subscription or buying R12 shots of pre-paid airtime at a time.

In order to have a truly representative digital citizenry in South Africa, we need to empower those South Africans who are living in rural areas or on minimum wage salaries. A large portion of DCI attendees are at the forefront of technology: the “early adopters”, so to speak. However, the high cost of computers and Internet connections means that this level is unattainable for the majority of Africans. But mobile technology is on the up in Africa, with the number of mobile connections is up to 282 million users, which begins to open up a whole new area for digital citizens.

This then becomes the most logical way to empower African digital citizens. Most new phones, on top of the ability to make calls and send smses, are now WAP-enabled, have an on-board camera and voice recorder. In other words, all the tools that the citizen journalist needs to get started.

Senne’s point however, is clear. It is one thing to have the technology – the handset, the laptop, the PC – but it is another to have the skills. As she says, most people can not use their mobile phone outside of the ability to make or receive phone calls. And aside from that, the phone needs to be charged (requiring an electric connection) and the phone needs to be recharged with airtime. All of this becomes more and more costly – meaning that even such a widely available technology such as a mobile phone is in the realm of the privileged.

The point is that we as the “privileged” need to provide support and education in terms of empowering the less privileged. If we can do so, we will be able to lend a voice to a much more diverse group of people, and so begin engaging in dialogue which is more representative of our continent’s interests.