CYBERCULTURE has taken another step towards world domination with the
opening of this cybercaf茅 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal鈥攖he
first to go online in West Africa.
The caf茅 is named Metissacana, which translates as 鈥渕ixed blood鈥�. This
unusual name was chosen to reflect a union between African culture and European
technology. Metissacana has 10 computer terminals, which will give local
children and college students a much-needed connection to the Internet.
Currently, only about 400 Senegalese have Internet access, Metissacana鈥檚 owners
say.
Michel Mavros, one of the caf茅鈥檚 owners, hopes that Metissacana will
be more than just a hang-out for computer buffs, and become a cultural centre in
the widest possible sense. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to turn it into a temple to the
Internet,鈥� he says.
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Although there are more than 250 cybercaf茅s worldwide, until now there
have only been six in Africa, all in the south of the continent. Metissacana鈥檚
owners aim to change this imbalance and have plans to expand into Mali,
C么te d鈥橧voire and Burkina Faso.