Indigenous Source Dev Tools +Events

Bring in local developers on a journey to solve the IP problem among indigenous communities for them to earn more from their craft.

Experience in production of fashion collections and manufacturing processes. In Collab. with WADA for developer and on-site network support.

Purpose of Proposal/Addressing the Challenge Question

This is going to be a learning journey wherein we will challenge local developers to solve a problem of group intellectual identity and ownership with an end goal of providing a verifiable certification on the Cardano blockchain.

This is a rather complex issue we are looking to tackle and want to do so very carefully. Our end goal at Indigenous Source will be to create a platform where local communities are given visibility in the global market in a way that allows them to claim rights as a community to their intellectual property.

Specific example: We will work with local communities to document fabric weaving pattern and design specific practices on the Cardano blockchain in such a way that designers like Louis Vitton will have a specific way to legally and fairly lease the rights to that pattern and print the designs on their merchandise. This is the long term vision. First, we need to address the problem of identity and ownership, especially in this context where it is a cultural identity belonging to many people and also holding similarities amongst geographically similar areas.

Project Description

With the recent rollout of IOHK's Atala Prism in Ethiopia, we will build on this to create a developer ecosystem around the concept of group identity and ownership, focusing on the indigenous community context. This is especially relevant because solving this problem of ownership will give these groups a starting point to reclaim their rights to intellectual property in the form of creative arts where historically such things are often unfairly appropriated. Our goal will be to engage Developers and No-Code engineers around this complex and interesting topic.

Activities

• Regular physical and virtual meet-ups lead by Indigenous Source + WADA (West Africa Decentralized Alliance) developers and no-code engineers
• Big events with key-note speakers and workshops both covering:
• General discussions surrounding group identity and ownership viewed through the African lens
• Hackathons to tackle specific identity and ownership solutions
• Trainings related to ownership solution building
• Live prototyping sessions
• Showcase consultations with Anthropologists, local chiefs and local experts at live events and online through YouTube and podcast conversations

Budget 3 month $46K

• Event Logistics (online platform, event registration, physical space rental) $6K
• Events Publicity, Organization, Travel & Attendee incentives: $10K
• Developers & trainer incentive costs $12K
• No-Code design engineers and trainees incentives: $7K
• Developer and No-code engineer recruitment and retention. $3K
• Market Research $3K
• Outreach Coordination & Team costs $5K

Roadmap for Indigenous Source (to be detailed once Ownership solution is more concrete)

Document Indigenous Craft -> Digitize with 3D artists and animators -> Certify with Cardano Native Token (Dev & legal team) -> Showcase on B2B/B2C web app (eg. sale of Kente fabric to Western buyer, Kente accredited as traditionally made and money goes back to the indigenous peoples via WADA community centers)

Implementation/ Success Indicators (3 months)

Create a roadmap specifically for Indigenous Source based on Identity & Ownership research and collaboration with WADA as laid out above.

Risk Management

• This will ultimately be a complex multi country endeavor and interactions with a wide range of cultures and communities within West and Central Africa with attendant complex logistics and implementation issues
• To minimize risks, we will start in one country and one community and scale up based on our learnings. In time and in the course of this project, our collaboration with WADA will create a huge expansion of trained and engaged developers throughout Africa and the Diaspora, and community members around the topic of group identity, ownership and certifications, and will have started a huge conversation around group identity &ownership solutions through the lens of a new paradigm for indigenous communities.
• Also, since we are working closely with WADA, we will operate within their broad risk management framework found here: https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/West-Africa-Decentralized-Alliance/333074-48088

Launch Date

• Q3 2021

Proposing Team

• Thaka - Is the founder and CEO of https://www.takaii.com/ and is passionate about ethically sourced native crafts, art and designs.
• Manfo - Technical Lead at WADA, passionate about identity solutions and ownership and honoring traditional practices through the modernization of technology
• Megan - Head of Internal Operations at WADA, passionate about uplifting local communities and letting their voices be heard.
• Mercy - WADA Communications and Coordination Lead

Collaborations:

• https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Local-Centers-in-West-Africa/340029-48088
• No-Code For Creative Africa (ideascale.com)
• Planting Roots In Africa (ideascale.com)