In a year with a record number of elections around the world, join us and get inspired through fiction readings and conversations with authors and innovators on how to advance a positive democratic future enabled by technology.
The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI), invite you to a two-part webinar series to showcase the authors and contributors to the Anthology for a Future of Tech-Enabled Democracy.
Concerns around digital authoritarianism and the malign use of technology by autocratic regimes remain monumental, from AI-powered surveillance to large-scale censorship. Surveillance economies are also problematic, with commercialization of personal data by big tech platforms and the lack of information integrity leading to a decline in trust in technology and democracy. The Anthology is an online multimedia collection of thought pieces that seeks to counter these two narratives.
- Wednesday, April 10 – Webinar I: Exploring Democracy through the Lens of Youth, Technology, and Speculative Fiction
- Wednesday, April 17 – Webinar II: Combating Corruption and Fostering Trust through Practical Lessons and Futurist Thinking
About the Event Sessions
APRIL 10: EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY THROUGH THE LENS OF YOUTH, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPECULATIVE FICTION
Zoom, 10AM – 11AM ET | To better understand the importance of youth voices in a democracy, Zambian author Dooshima Tsee examines the future of tech-enabled democracy through the eyes of Wuese, a fictional children’s character growing up in Kigali in “Oyarsu—Terraforming Earth.” Zambian activist Esther Mwema explains how she started Digital Grassroots (DIGRA), a non-profit organization to equip youth and community leaders from around the globe to address internet-related issues in their local context through digital literacy, networking, and activism in “Centering Youth Voices Online to Build a Democratic Digital Future.”
APRIL 17: COMBATING CORRUPTION AND FOSTERING TRUST THROUGH PRACTICAL LESSONS AND FUTURIST THINKING
Zoom, 10AM – 11AM ET | To better understand the importance of combating corruption and transparency, futurist author Brian David Johnson uses fantasy to explore “The Tooth” or the idea that misdeeds cannot hide thanks to technology-enabled accountability in “Day of the Jester: Tooth to Power.” Ukrainian reformer Olexandr Starodubtsev details how his upbringing in Ukraine led him to became a strong believer in the power of technology to fuel democratic progress in “Using Technology to Promote Democratic Accountability and Trust.”