The members of Team Smallbean in Africa have returned safely to Boston. The next step is to begin processing all of the wonderful data that we collected in Kwala. There are lots of meetings this week and next as we get to work on the creation of the digital archive.
I apologize for the delayed posting to the blog. The last three days in Kwala were a whirlwind of activity that left no time for writing about all the doing that was occurring. Moving into the computer lab and getting the solar panels up on the roof a week later than we had expected squeezed Team Smallbean very tight in terms of time. We taught our first class in the new computer lab on Tuesday afternoon. Without adequate electricity in the lab, we changed our schedule and began holding class at 4pm.
After a weekend in Dar es Salaam, we returned to Kwala late on Sunday night determined to get our solar powered computer lab operational. And today, that is exactly what happened! We arranged for a second fundi from a nearby town to help us with the installation of the solar panels on the roof. By mid-morning, both fundis (old and new) were working to complete the door to the computer lab and install the solar panels on the roof.
The following photos document some of what Team Smallbean has been up to in Kwala over the last week. We apologize for the resolution of the photos, but internet is limited in Kwala. However, we think these photos have plenty of pixels to get you excited about just some of the great work that Smallbean has been up to in Kwala.

Today was our most successful and most frustrating day in Kwala all at once. I’ll start with the bad. We continue to battle the Fundi, the carpenter who is supposed to be installing the secure door on the computer lab. When we arrived a week ago, the computer room was near completion, requiring only bars and mosquito netting on the windows, the building of a door, and the installation of the solar panels on the roof. Today, Friday, a week later, the only thing that’s been completed is the windows.
On Friday Feb. 5, 2010, Tanzanian students participating in the Citizens Archivist Project (CAP) took photographs, conducted interviews, and made short movies documenting community life in Kwala, Tanzania. Despite the fact that the students had been using the equipment for less than a week, they did an amazing job.