Episode 223: OSCA 2023 with Mannie William Young on the Python community in Ghana & PyCon Africa

Guest Mannie William Young Panelist Richard Littauer Show Notes In
this episode, host Richard invites guest Mannie Young from Ghana’s
Python community to share his experiences in open source
development. Mannie discusses his role as the Executive Director of
the Python Software Community in Ghana and his involvement in
organizing PyCon Africa. He provides insights into the significant
growth of the Python community in Ghana and the various initiatives
under it. He also discusses the Nigerian open source community’s
vibrancy, the Python community’s development in Ghana, and reflects
on his experiences at OSCA and Sustain events. Mannie touches on
cultural differences affecting community sustainability and funding
opportunities, and he shares insights on how to get involved with
PyCon Africa and Python Ghana, highlighting the new PyClubs
initiative. Hit download now to hear more! [00:00:59] Mannie
mentions his active contribution to the Python software community
and his roles as the Executive Director of Python Ghana and
organizer of PyCon Africa. [00:02:02] Mannie discusses his
experience at OSCA Fest 2023, insights from the Sustain Session, as
well as Importance of Documentation in Open Source [00:06:14]
Mannie explains the growth of the Python community in Ghana and its
various initiatives, like PyLadies Ghana and PyData Ghana.
[00:07:11] There’s a discussion about OSCA’s event in Lagos and the
Sustain event. Although Mannie was not part of the organizing team
this year, he shares some highlights from OSCA including great
talks, diversity, and a welcoming environment. He also tells us
about the Sustain workshops he attended, focusing on design and
community. [00:10:04] The conversation shifts to compare the open
source communities in Ghana and Nigeria, with an emphasis on social
media presence and advocacy. [00:11:36] Mannie discusses the impact
of being reserved on funding and opportunities in the Ghanaian open
source community, along with the cultural differences affecting
sustainability. [00:012:30] Richard and Mannie address a recent
issue with DjangoCon and the PSF regarding discrepancies in
approaches to funding and community support, along with cultural
and legal considerations in Africa. [00:15:33] Richard inquires
about how people can get involved with PyCon Africa, PyCon Ghana,
and Mannie’s communities. Mannie explains that preparations for
PyCon Africa 2024 are underway and provides contact emails and
websites. [00:17:08] Find out where you can follow Mannie and his
blog on the web. Quotes [00:11:08] “If you don’t blog about things,
no one knows what you were doing.” Links SustainOSS
(https://sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Twitter
(https://twitter.com/SustainOSS?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
SustainOSS Discourse (https://discourse.sustainoss.org/)
podcast@sustainoss.org (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS
Mastodon (https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/@richlitt) Mannie Young Website
(https://www.mannieyoung.com/) Mannie Young LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/mawy7/?originalSubdomain=gh) An Open
Letter to the Python Software Foundation (Python Africa)
(https://pythonafrica.blogspot.com/2023/12/an-open-letter-to-python-software_5.html)
PyCon Ghana (https://gh.pycon.org/) PyClubs
(https://www.pyclubs.org/) PyLadies Ghana
(https://blog.pythonghana.org/series/pyladies) PyData Ghana
(https://blog.pythonghana.org/series/pydata) OSCAfrica
(https://oscafrica.org/about-us) Credits Produced by Richard
Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by
DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/)
Special Guest: Mannie William Young.