VUMA! Portal initiative launched

Over the last few months Think Open Software has been implementing, modifying and developing a portal for Neil Butcher and Associates. The portal is for use by students and staff of the FOTIM group of universities in South Africa. The portal site is called VUMA!, which is a Zulu word. Finding an accurate translation without any cultural context is always challenging. Professor Chris Van Der Walt, who spoke at the portal launch event at Wits University on 22nd November 2007, noted that a colleague of his had pointed out that VUMA! means to say "YES!". Webster's on-line translates vuma as "agree, approve". This along with Professor Van Der Walt's input should provide the non-Zulu person with a semi-contextual understanding of the word.


"Spearheaded by FOTIM, the VUMA Portal is a vibrant on-line space where students, prospective students, parents, teachers and university staff can join collaborative university communities in sharing information, ideas and resources. The VUMA! Portal launched in October 2007 and is constantly under construction. New services will be introduced monthly, so feel free to visit any time. Your contributions will help the VUMA! Portal grow into a vibrant on-line community." -- www.vuma.ac.za

Think Open Software is responsible for implementing the Vuma portal using Drupal 5. In conjunction and collaboration with Neil Butcher and Associates and Radical Technologies, Think Open customized Drupal to integrate with Media Wiki, using "folksonomy tagging" to suggest relevant Drupal content for tagged Media Wiki entries. Think Open also developed a Resource Lab which is designed to allow students and staff to share resources and links.

It is hoped that these tools will foster a greater collaborative effort amongst teachers and students alike.

At the VUMA! launch event, Neil Butcher spoke to the use of technology to effect social change. Think Open truly hopes that FOTIM and its members drive the use of the portal, and that Neil Butcher and Associates are successful in bringing large parts of Africa and the developing world into collaboration with each other. Think Open will continue to technically support the initiative , and stand behind the attempt to harness the power of the collaborative tools which open source software can provide, and to ultimately effect a social change from within the developing world, rather than from without.

Bryan Gruneberg
CTO
Think Open Software