2025-09-08 –, Room B
What if building with Django wasn’t just about code, but about changing lives in places with limited internet, few resources, and no fully established tech industry?
In Namibia, that’s exactly what happened.
As a founding member of the Python community in Namibia and the founder of Django Namibia, I’ve spent the past 10 years helping grow a grassroots open-source community. With minimal infrastructure but maximum commitment, we introduced Python and Django to schools, rural areas, and aspiring developers, many of whom had never written a single line of code.
In this talk, I’ll share how we built a thriving, inclusive community from the ground up. I’ll reflect on milestones like launching Django Day Namibia for the first time, mentoring over 50 women, and engaging 60 students through Education Day at PyCon Namibia this year. I’ll also discuss real-world projects where we applied Django to areas like wildlife conservation, healthcare, and tourism, many of which I contributed to directly.
This isn’t just a story about technology. It’s a story of resilience, creativity, and the power of open source in even the most unexpected places. I was driven by a desire to give back to my country, the continent and empower individuals in underserved areas, believing that technology can open doors where there were none. If you’ve ever wondered whether your work, or your community, can make a difference, this talk is proof that it can.
In this talk, I’ll share how we built one of Africa’s most impactful Python and Django communities in Namibia, focusing on the strategies and challenges we overcame to create a thriving, inclusive open-source ecosystem in a region with limited tech infrastructure. Attendees will learn howto grow a sustainable community, empowering underrepresented groups, and using open-source tools like Django to address local challenges in real-world projects.
This talk is important because it highlights how communities in underserved regions can use open-source technologies to drive change, even without access to the infrastructure found in larger tech hubs. It’s a story of resilience, innovation, and collaboration over the last 10 years of our community. This journey wasn’t just about writing code; it was about changing the landscape of tech in Namibia, proving that with determination and the right support and tools like Django, anyone can participate and contribute meaningfully. If you’re someone who’s interested in creating meaningful impact with technology, especially in resource-constrained environments, this talk will provide you with the lessons and strategies to do so.
I will discuss the following key points:
- Building an Open-Source Community: How we engaged local and global partners, hosted events like Django Day Namibia, and created a space for developers to grow.
- Overcoming Challenges: The unique obstacles we faced, from poor internet access to a lack of technical infrastructure, and how we found solutions that kept the community thriving for 10 years.
- Empowering Underrepresented Groups: Our approach to inclusivity, especially focusing on mentoring women and students in tech.
- Real-World Impact: Highlighting how we used Django in projects that addressed local issues like wildlife conservation, healthcare, and tourism.
- Sustaining a Community: How we keep people motivated, engaged, and connected even with limited resources, and why our collective effort has been the key to staying active and relevant for the last 10 years.
This talk isn’t just for developers. It’s for anyone who believes in the potential of technology to uplift lives and communities, regardless of circumstances. Whether you’re a community organizer, a developer, or someone passionate about creating change, you’ll leave this session with both the inspiration and practical insights to make a difference where it matters most.
I am an open-source software advocate, community leader in Africa, software engineer, PSF Fellow, and DSF member. I co-founded the Python community and founded the Django community in Namibia, where I’ve helped introduce open-source technologies to new developers and supported underrepresented groups in tech across Africa. For more than a decade, I’ve worked to grow these communities and have been involved in the global Python and Ubuntu communities, speaking at international events about open source and building strong tech communities.
I help organize major events like PyCon Africa and DjangoCon Africa, bringing together developers and industry leaders from across Africa and beyond. I’m passionate about sharing knowledge, encouraging collaboration, and promoting open-source software.
I’m part of The Crazy Labs; Laloka Labs LLC, where I continue to support innovation and open-source work in Africa and around the world.