Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, hosted the Open Source Days 2013 (OSD 2013) from May 27 to June 1, 2013. The event welcomed the participation of the Ministry of Post and ICT, represented by Mr. Contaignan Eric Victor, and the Ministry of Higher Education, represented by Mr. Meité Daouda.
The unique aspect of these days dedicated to promoting GNU/Linux and free software in Côte d’Ivoire is that they were initiated by students from Indian University/Gecos-Formation, a private university. This event, which was primarily open to students but also to advocates of Free Software in Côte d’Ivoire, lived up to all expectations, with exciting days filled with conferences, install parties, open workshops, and coding sessions.
The JerryClan Côte d’Ivoire was invited to participate in these days by leading a Jerry workshop on refurbishing computers using recycled materials and implementing SMS servers. It was therefore an opportunity for members of the JerryClan — those advocates of open education through Free Software and experimentation — to put into practice their vision of horizontal workshops and laboratories. While most participants expected formal demonstrations and top-down lectures, the Jerrymakers instead invited young students from the Institut des Technologies et de Spécialités d’Abidjan (ITES), organizers of the first Jerry Marathon (a large-scale Jerry computer design contest), to lead a Jerry workshop that they designed to be horizontal — a training session by students and for students. Students teaching other students the open techniques of collaborative computer production using jerrycans filled exclusively with free software — yes, it’s possible. This was also the moment to promote the values of sharing, mutual aid, collaboration, and team building fostered by Free Software.
In a relaxed and engaging atmosphere, these students — true pioneers of a new kind of learning — brought a unique tone to the Open Source Days by conducting over five hours of training on how to build a Jerry computer in 20-liter jerrycans using locally recycled materials. Everything started with a thorough disassembly session, testing of peripherals, and salvaging of functional equipment. Then came marking and cutting the jerrycan, pre-sewing, assembling, and installing GNU/Linux. Done by students in front of their peers, these actions — once reserved for professors — embodied a new vision of learning. Computer science and, more importantly, skills transfer have been demystified. It’s the revolution of open learning workshops inspired by the philosophy of Free Software.
Particularly moved by this approach, students who were discovering Free Software for the first time shared the following message on social media: “When someone helps you move forward… When you succeed, you must not forget to help others rise too… That’s the spirit of Open Source.” They had simply discovered the secret of horizontal learning.
Tutorial classes are no longer the exclusive domain of universities; they are becoming open spaces that anyone can create at home or in their neighborhood. The example of the ITES students — who gained skills during the Jerry Marathon and later came to train their peers during this Jerry workshop — shows that Free Software and co-production can restore hope to an entire generation. Far from specialized classrooms, young people can now learn in shared, cross-functional spaces without specialized tools, following a free and horizontal model.
Free Software now demystifies advanced learning once limited to specialized facilities, as the Ivorian JerryClan has proven and intends to reproduce wherever needed. Students teaching other students in ordinary rooms that become “specialized” through Free Software — yes, it’s possible, and it’s a powerful example of learners taking ownership of their own education. Simply and freely, the revolution is underway.
Florent YOUZAN