Open Source Software Initiatives in Zimbabwe
Channel: PyCon South Africa
Date: 2016-10-09

Anna Makarudze
https://2016.za.pycon.org/talks/57/
Zimbabwean companies and individuals have been consumers of open source software for over a decade now. Nevertheless, developers in Zimbabwe have done little in terms of developing an active and vibrant open source community until 2015 which saw the establishment of PyZim. This is because affiliation to professional bodies is not heavily emphasized in most industries, especially the ICT industry. The economic challenges facing the country for the past two decades have also made affiliation to such organisations a luxury as the country has over 90% unemployment rate. 

Given this background, it is no surprise that setting up a vibrant Python user group has been fraught with many challenges. In my talk, I intent to share the journey we have traveled in setting up PyZim. I will also share our experiences organising Django Girls workshops and PyCon Zimbabwe 2016. I will also share with the audience the challenges faced, opportunities arising, benefits accrued and important lessons learnt through the experiences.