Chenai Chair
Chenai Chair’s interest in the ICT sector developed from learning of mobiles for development while writing her master’s thesis titled “Mobile phones for development: How have women in the informal sector used their mobile phones to enhance themselves and their business? ”in 2014. Chenai focuses on issues of ICT access and use and related policy development, and has worked on projects in South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Ghana and Kenya. Her areas of research include youth access and use, gendered issues of access, and internet governance. These areas of research were developed during her time at Research ICT Africa. Chenai holds an MSocSci specialising in Global Studies, and a BSocSci in Gender Studies and Industrial Relations from the University of Cape Town.
Feminist talk
How feminist research shapes AI, privacy, and data protection discourse
In this second post in a series on artificial intelligence, research in the African context, Chenai shares why she believes that a feminist approach to research around AI is the only way.
Feminist talk
Privacy in the time of a pandemic: how is your data doing?
A three part series that dives into the concerns around privacy and data in Africa in the context of artificial intelligence and also covid-19 from a feminist data justice perspective.
Feminist talk
Letter to my younger self – a budding feminist researcher.
What is the difference between doing research that takes into consideration gender as a factor and being a feminist researcher. In this touching and funny letter, a researcher speaks to her younger self about naivete, idealism and ofcourse, funding.
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Access and Beyond (5): How do we address the gender question?
In this last column by Chenai Chair following the gender implications of the research by Research ICT Africa on access, she explores how researchers and activists can proactively explore gender dimensions. Even as ITU figures point to a progressively increasing gender digital divide, there are steps to take to understand and address this divide.
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Access and beyond (4): Gendered barriers to internet use
Gendered barriers to internet access can range from social and cultural barriers imposed within family or by partners to extraneous factors relevant to all - such as affordability of data and devices. In this column Chenai Chair examines the specificity of how access is different for women and men.
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Access and Beyond (3): Navigating mobile costs in communication
Africa is flooded with zero rating services such as Free Basics (Facebook’s zero rating scheme) and other subsidised data strategies. Do these schemes make internet more affordable and bring access to more people? In this column Chenai Chair examines whether ordinary people perceive such schemes as useful.
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Access and Beyond (2): Motivations for internet use
In this column, Chenai Chair explores motivations of internet use through the ResearchICT Africa study in Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Business, local and global communication, social ties, and curiosity seem to be the main motivators. By understanding why people go online, we can better shape interventions for a connected society.
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Access and beyond (1): Navigating the gendered cyberspace
In this column series, Chenai Chair explores the barriers to accessing the internet in four countries in Africa - Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. The study in particular looks at the impact of affordability of internet and subsidised data services, and what impact this has on people in different locations (countries, urban-rural), of different genders, and so on. In the first column,...
Feminist talk
Reflections on gender and internet governance in Africa
Before I attended the Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigX) I did not think there was anything I could say related to gender activism. The last four days have reaffirmed the saying shared on the first day “if you are not at the table you will be on the menu”.
