Posters called to me from every wall about every issue of concern to women throughout the world. Activities expressed the range of talents and interests. One afternoon I saw a graceful Pakistani dancer act out a folk story, and then I walked down the road to watch Nordic women demonstrating prowess at ax-throwing. Gathered into one place were people from the entire human community. This is the way the earth really is, I thought.
Diversity is the norm.
The audience represented at least 20 countries, and the panelists were from Tunisia, Angola, Brazil, Ukraine, the Philippines, and Canada. They talked about their challenges, too - the lack of electricity in rural areas and the expectations of men who were not used to seeing women in technical fields. The panelists and their networks back home seemed like harbingers of change - women discovering a powerful new tool to connect people and share knowledge. At the computer center, staffed by people from APC, Apple, and Hewlett Packard, the computer era came into being for many women. Any conference participant could open up a free temporary account, send and receive e-mail, and access the internet.